Universal Postal Union1. The regular-mail service is governed by the provisions of the Convention. 2. Other services, such as those of insured letters and boxes, parcel post, collect-on-deliveryarticles,

UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION

Convention, with final protocol and annex, and airmail provisions, withfinal protocol, signed at Paris JulyS, 1947 1

Ratified and approved by the Postmaster General of the United States,with a statement, June 1,1948 2

Approved by the President of the United States June 9,1948Entered into force July 1, 1948Ratification of the United States deposited at Paris July 13,1948Terminated by convention of July 11, 19S2 3

62 Stat. 3157; Treaties and OtherInternational Acts Series 1850

[TRANSLATION]

CONVENTION

TABLE OF THE ARTICLES OF THE UNIVERSAL POSTAL CONVENTION

1. CONVENTION

TITLE I

Universal Postal Union

CHAPTER I

Organization and extent of jurisdiction of the Union

Art.1. Constitution and aims of the Union.2. Relations with the United Nations.3. New Adhesions. Procedure.4. Convention and Agreements of the

Union.5. Regulations of Execution.6. Restricted Unions. Special agree

ments.7. Domestic legislation.

Art.8. Colonies. Protectorates, etc.9. Application of the Convention to Colo-

nies, Protectorates, etc.10. Extent of jurisdiction of the Union.11. Exceptional Relations.12. Arbitration.13. Withdrawal from the Union. Termina

tion of participation in the Agreements.

1 For text of regulations for execution of the convention, see 62 Stat. 3347 or p. 199 ofTIAS 1850; for forms (in French) appended to regulations and to airmail provisions, see62 Stat. 3250 and 3292 or pp. 95 and 137 of TIAS 1850.

• The statement by the Postmaster General reads as follows: "This ratification is applicable to the United States of America, the insular possessions of the United States ofAmerica mentioned in Article 8 (1 0

) of the aforementioned Convention signed at Paris onthe 5th day of July, 1947, and to Samoa and the Panama Canal Zone."

34 UST 1118; TIAS 2800.

482

UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION-JULY 5, 1947 483

CHAPTER II

Conferences. Committees

Art.18. Executive and Liaison Committee. Com

position. Functions. Operation.19. Conferences.20. Committees.

Congresses.

Art.14. Con'gresses.15. Ratifications. Entry into force and dura

tion of the Acts of Congresses.16. Extraordinary Congresses.17. Regulations for Congresses.

Propositions

21. Introduction of propositions.22. Examination of propositions.23. Conditions of approval.

CHAPTER III

in the interval between meetings

24. Notification of decisions.25. Effective date of decisions.

CHAPTER IV

26. General functions.

International Bureau

27. Expenses of the International Bureau.

TITLE II

General Regulations

SOLE CHAPTER

28.29.

30.

Freedom of transit.Prohibition against unauthorized

charges.Temporary suspension of services.

31.32.33.34.

Monetary standard.Equivalents.Forms. Language.Postal identity cards.

TITLE III

Provisions Concerning Postal Correspondence

CHAPTER I

General provisions

35.36.37.38.

39.40.41.42.43.44.

45.46.

Articles of correspondence.Postage rates and general conditions.Prepayment.,Charge on unprepaid or insufficiently

prepaid correspondence.Surcharges.Special charges.Dutiable articles.Customs inspection.Customs-clearance fee.Customs duties and other non-postal

charges.Articles free of charges.Cancellation of customs duty and other

non-postal charges.

47.48.

49.50.51.

52.53.54.55.

56.

Special-delivery articles.Articles to be delivered to addressee

only.Prohibitions.Methods of prepayment.Prepayment of correspondence on

board ships.Franking privilege.International reply coupons.Withdrawal. Change of address.Forwarding. Undelivered correspond-

ence.Inquiries and requests for information.

CHAPTER II

Registered articles

62. Fixing of responsibility.63. Payment of indemnity.64. Period for payment of indemnity.65. Repayment of the indemnity to the Ad

ministration of origin.

Charges.Return receipts.Extent of responsibility.Exceptions to the principle of responsi

bility.Termination of responsibility.

57.58.59.60.

61.

484 MULTILATERAL AGREEMENTS 1946-1949

66.67.68.69.

Allocation

Allocation of postage.Transit charges.Exemption from transit charges.Extraordinary services.

CHAPTER III

of postage. Transit charges

70. Payments and accounts.71. Exchange of closed mails

ships.with war-

Miscellaneous provisions

72. Failure to observe freedom of transit. 73. Obligations relative to penal measures.

Final provisions

74. Effective date and duration of the Con-vention.

2. FINAL PROTOCOL OF THE CONVENTION

I. Withdrawal. Change of address.II. Equivalents. Maximum and mini

mum limits.III. Exception to the application of the

rates for commercial papers,prints, and samples of merchandise.

IV. Avoirdupois ounce.V. Mailing of correspondence in an·

other country.VI. International reply coupons.

VII. Registration fee.VIII. Air services.

IX. Exception to freedom of transit forsmall packets.

X. Special transit charges for theTrans-Siberian and Trans-Andeanroutes.

XI. Special transit conditions forAfghanistan.

XII. Special warehousing charges atAden.

XIII. Special charges for transshipment.XIV. Protocol left open to the countries

not represented.XV. Protocol left open to the countries

represented for signatures and adhesions.

XVI. Period for notification of adhesions.XVII. Protocol left open to countries mo

mentarily prevented from adhering to the Convention and' to theAgreements.

UNIVERSAL POSTAL CONVENTION

Concluded between Afghanistan, the Union of South Africa, the People'sRepublic of Albania, Germany, the United States of America, the whole Qfthe Possessions of the United States of America, the Kingdom of SaudiArabia, the Argentine Republic, the Commonwealth of Australia, Austria,Belgium, the Colony of the Belgian Congo, the Soviet Socialist Republicof Byelorussia, Bolivia, Brazil, the People's Republic of Bulgaria, Canada,Chile, China, the Republic of Colombia, Korea, the Republic of CostaRica, the Republic of Cuba, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Egypt,the Republic of EI Salvador, Ecuador, Spain, the whole of the SpanishColonies, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Algeria, Indochina, the whole of theother Overseas Territories of the French Republic and Territories Administered As Such, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and NorthernIreland, the whole of the British Overseas Territories, including theColonies, the Protectorates and the Territories under Mandate or underTrusteeship exercised by the Government of the United Kingdom of GreatBritain and Northern Ireland, Greece, Guatemala, the Republic of Haiti,the Republic of Honduras, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, the Republic of Iceland, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, the Republic of Liberia, Luxembourg, Morocco (except the Spanish Zone), Morocco (Spanish Zone),


Mexico, Nicaragua, Norway, New Zealand, the Republic of Panama,Paraguay, the Netherlands, Cura~ao and Surinam, the Netherlands Indies,Peru, the Republic of the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, the PortugueseColonies in West Mrica, the Portuguese Colonies in East Mrica, in Asia andOceania, Rumania, the Republic of San Marino, Siam; Sweden, the SwissConfederation, Syria, Czechoslovakia, the Hashemite Kingdom of TransJordan, Tunisia, Turkey, the Soviet Socialist Republic of Ukraine, theUnion of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, theVatican City State, the United States of Venezuela, Yemen, and thePeople's Federative Republic of Yugoslavia.

The undersigned, plenipotentiaries of the Governments of the countriesabove enumerated, being assembled in Congress at Paris by virtue of Article13 of the Universal Postal Convention concluded at Buenos Aires on May 23,1939,4 have, by common consent and subject to ratification, revised the saidConvention to read as follows:

TITLE I


CHAPTER I

ORGANIzATION AND ExTENT OF JURISDICTION OF THE UNION

ARTICLE 1

Constitution and Aims of the Union

1. The countries between which the present Convention is concluded form,under the name of Universal Postal Union, a single postal territory for thereciprocal exchange of correspondence.

2. The purpose of the Postal Union is to assure the organization and im·provement of the various postal services and to encourage in this spherethe development of international co-operation.

ARTICLE 2

Relations with the United Nations

The Union is placed in relationship with the United Nations under theterms of the agreement whose text is appended to the present Convention.

ARTICLE3 ','

New adhesions.' Procedure

1. Any sovereign country may make at any time a request to adhere tothe Convention.

• Ante, vol. 3, p. 547.


2. The request for adherence is transmitted through diplomatic channelsto the Government of the Swiss Confederation and by the latter to themembers of the Union.

3. The country concerned is considered as admitted to membership ifthe request is approved by at least two thirds of the countries forming theUnion.

4. The countries consulted which may not have replied in a period of fourmonths are considered as having abstained.

5. The admission to membership is made known by the government ofthe Swiss Confederation to the Governments of all the countries of the Union.

ARTICLE 4

Convention and Agreements of the Union

1. The regular-mail service is governed by the provisions of theConvention.

2. Other services, such as those of insured letters and boxes, parcel post,collect-on-delivery articles, money orders, postal checks, collection orders,and subscriptions to newspapers and periodicals, form the subject of Agreements between countries of the Union. Such Agreements are binding onlyupon the countries which have adhered to them.

3. Notice of adhesion to one or more of those agreements is given inaccordance with the provisions of Article 3, Section 2.

ARTICLE 5

Regulations of Execution

The Postal Administrations of the countries of the Union draw up, bymutual agreement, in the form of Regulations of Execution,5 the measuresof procedure and detail necessary for the execution of the Convention and theAgreements.

ARTICLE 6

Restricted Unions. Special Agreements

1. The countries of the Union and, insofar as their legislation is not opposed to it, the Administrations, may establish restricted Unions and makespecial agreements among themselves concerning the subjects dealt with inthe Convention and its Regulations, on the condition, however, that they donot introduce therein any provisions less favorable, for the public, than thosewhich are provided for by those Acts.

2. The same option is granted to the countries which participate in theAgreements and, should the occasion arise, to their Administrations, inregard to the subjects contemplated by those Acts and their Regulations.

• See footI\Ote 1, p. 482.


ARTICLE 7

Domestic legislation

The provisions of the Convention and Agreements of the Union do notprejudice the legislation of any country concerning anything which is notexpressly provided for by those Acts.

ARTICLE 8

Colonies, Protectorates, etc.

The following are considered as forming a single country or a singleAdministration of the Union, as the case may be, in the sense of the Convention and Agreements, particularly in regard to their right to vote in Congresses and Conferences and in the interval between meetings, as well as theircontribution to the expenses of the International Bureau of the UniversalPostal Union:

1° The whole of the Possessions of the United States of America, comprising Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands of the United Statesof Amenca;

2° The Colony of the Belgian Congo;3° The whole of the Spanish Colonies;4° Algeria;5° Indochina;6° The whole of the other Oversc::as Territories of the French Republic

and Territories administered as such;7° The whole of the British Overseas Territories, including the Colonies,

the Protectorates and the Territories under Mandate or under Trusteeshipexercised by the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain andNorthern Ireland;

8° Cura<,;ao and Surinam;9° The Netherlands Indies;

10° The Portuguese Colonies in West Africa;11° The Portuguese Colonies in East Africa, Asia and Oceania.

ARTICLE 9

Application of the Convention to Colonies, Protectorates, etc.

1. Any contracting party may declare, either at the time of its signature,ratification or adhesion, or subsequently, that its acceptance of the presentConvention includes all its colonies, overseas territories, protectorates orterritories under suzerainty or mandate, or certain of them only. The saiddeclaration, unless made at the time of signing the Convention, shall be addressed to the Government of the Swiss Confederation.

2. The Convention will apply only to the colonies, overseas territories,


protectorates or territories under suzerainty or mandate in whose namedeclarations have been made by virtue of Section 1.

3. Any contracting party may at any time address to the Government ofthe Swiss Confederation a notification with a view to denouncing the application of the Convention to any colony, overseas territory, protectorate orterritory under suzerainty or mandate in the name of which that party hasmade a declaration by virtue of Section 1. Such notification will becomeeffective one year after the date of its receipt by the Government of theSwiss Confederation.

4. The Government of the Swiss Confederation will transmit to all thecontracting parties a copy of every declaration or notification received byvirtue of Sections. 1 to 3.

5. The provisions of the present Article do not apply to any colony, overseas territory, protectorate or territory under suzerainty or mandate enumerated in the Preamble of the Convention.

ARTICLE 10

Extent of Jurisdiction of the Union

The following are considered as belonging to the Universal Postal Union:

(a) The post offices established by countries of the Union in territoriesnot included in the Union;

(b) The other territories which, without being members of the Union, areincluded in it because they are dependent upon countries of the Union froma postal viewpoint.6

ARTICLE 11

Exceptional relations

Administrations which serve territories not included in the Union arebound to act as intermediaries for the other Administrations. The provisionsof the Convention and its Regulations are applicable to such exceptionalrelations.

ARTICLE 12

Arbitration

1. In case of disagreement between two or more members of the Unionas to the interpretation of the Convention and Agreements, as well as oftheir Regulations of Execution, or of the responsibility imposed upon anAdministration by the application of those Acts, the question in dispute issettled by arbitration. To that end, each of the Administrations concerned

• The list of these territories will be included in the Official Digest of Infonnation ofGeneral Interest Concerning the Execution of the Convention and its Regulations, publishedby the International Bureau in compliance with Article 173, § 2, of the Regulations.[Footnote in originaL]


chooses another member of the Union which is not directly interested in thematter.

2. If one of the Administrations involved in the dispute does not takeany action on a proposal for arbitration within a period of six months, ornine months in the case of distant countries, the International Bureau, ifasked to do so, calls upon the defaulting Administration to appoint an arbitrator, or appoints one itself without further formality.

3. The decision of the arbitrators is made on an absolute majority of votes.4. In case of a tie vote, the arbitrators, for the purpose of settling the

difference, choose another Administration which likewise has no interest inthe dispute. In case of disagreement as to a choice, that Administration isdesignated by the International Bureau from among the members of theUnion not proposed by the arbitrators.

5. If it is a question of a dispute concerning one of the Agreements, onlysuch Administrations as execute that Agreement may be designated asarbitrators.

ARTICLE 13

Withdrawal from the Union. Termination of participation in the Agreements

Any contracting party has the option of withdrawing from the Unionor of ceasing to participate in one or more of the Agreements by notice givenone year in advance through diplomatic channels to the Government of theSwiss Confederation and by the latter to the Governments of tlle contractingcountries.

CHAPTER II

CONGRESSES. CONFERENCES. COMMITTEES

ARTICLE 14

Congresses

1. Delegates from the countries of the Union meet in Congress not laterthan five years after the effective date of the Acts of the preceding Congress,with a view to revising or completing those Acts, if necessary.

2. Each country is represented at the Congress by one or more plenipootentiary delegates, provided with the necessary powers by their government.It may, if necessary, be represented by the delegation of another country.However, it is understood that a delegation may represent only one countrybesides its own.

3. In the deliberations, each country has but one vote.4. Each Congress fixes the meeting-place of the next Congress. The latter

is called together by the government of the country in which it is to be held,after agreement with the International Bureau. That government is likewisecharged with notifying all the governments of the countries of the Union ofthe decisions made by the Congress.


ARTICLE 15

Ratifications. Entry into force and duration of the Acts of Congresses

1. The Acts of Congresses are ratified as soon as possible, and the ratifications are communicated to the government of the country where the Congress was held, and by that government to the governments of the contractingcountries.

2. In the event that one or more of the contracting countries should notratify one or another of the Acts signed by them, the latter would neverthelessbe valid for the countries which have ratified them.

3. Those Acts are put into effect simultaneously and have the sameduration.

4. As of the date fixed for the entry into force of the Acts adopted by aCongress, all the Acts of the preceding Congress are abrogated.

ARTICLE 16

Extraordinary Congresses

1. An extraordinary Congress is called together by agreement with theInternational Bureau when a request to that effect is made or approved byat least two-thirds of the contracting countries.

2. The rules laid down by Articles 14 and 15 are applicable to the delegations, the deliberations, and the Acts of extraordinary Congresses.

ARTICLE 17

Regulations for Congresses

Each Congress draws up the necessary regulations for its work anddeliberations.

ARTICLE 18

Executive and Liaison Committee. Composition. Functions. Operation

1. In the interval between Congresses, an Executive and Liaison Committee assures the continuance of the work of the Universal Postal Union inaccordance with the provisions of the Convention and the Agreements.

2. The headquarters of the Committee are at Berne; meetings are generally held at the Committee's headquarters.

3. The Committee is composed of 19 members, who carryon their functions during the period between two successive Congresses.

4. The member countries of the Committee are selected by the Congress. Atleast half of the members must be renewed at each Congress; no country maybe chosen by three Congresses in succession. The Director of the InternationalBureau performs the duties of General Secretary of the Committee.

5. The representative of each of the member countries of the Committeeis designated by the Postal Administration of the country concerned. The


representatives of the member countries of the Committee must be qualifiedofficials of the Postal Administrations.

6. At the first meeting, which is convened by the President of the lastCongress, the Committee elects among its members a Chairman and fourVice-Chairmen, and draws up the necessary regulations for its activities anddeliberations.

7. The services of the Committee members are gratuitous. The operatingcosts are charged to the Universal Postal Union. The representatives of overseas countries may obtain reimbursement for a found-trip airplane or steamship ticket.

8. The expenses provided for in Section 7 may not exceed 100,000 francsper year; they are added to those which the International Bureau is authorizedto defray under Article 27 of the Convention.

9. The Committee holds regular meetings, generally once a year at the callof the Chairman.

10. The Committee may invite any representative of an internationalorganization, or other qualified person whom it desires to include in its activities, to take part in its meetings without the right to vote. Consultative subcommittees may be formed for the study of special questions.

11. The functions of the Committee are as follows:

(a) Maintaining closest possible contact with member countries of theUnion with a view to improving the international postal service;

(b) Studying technical questions of every nature which are of interest tothe international postal service, and informing the member countries of theUnion as to the results of such studies;

(c) Keeping appropriate contact with the United Nations Organization,its Councils and its Committees, as well as with specialized institutions andother international organizations, for studies and for the preparation of reports to be submitted for the approval of the members of the Union. Sendingone of its members when necessary to represent the Union and attend meetings of all such international organizations in its name;

(d) If necessary, formulating the proposition to be submitted for theapproval of the contracting countries in accordance with Articles 22 and 23of the Convention;

(e) Within the framework of the Convention and its Regulations, checking the operations of the International Bureau, whose Director as well asother unclassified personnel it names when necessary upon the recommendation of the Government of the Swiss Confederation; approving on the recommendation of the Director of the Bureau the appointments of other employees;and authorizing the use of additional personnel considered necessary; preparing an annual report on the operations of the Bureau which it sends to themembers of the Union.

12. At the close of each meeting, the Committee sends an analytical reportto the Administrations of the countries of the Union as information.


13. The Committee makes a report to the Congress on all of its activities,and sends it to the contracting countries at least two months before the opening of the Congress.

ARTICLE 19

Conferences

1. Conferences charged with the examination of purely administrativequestions may be called together at the request or with the consent of at leasttwo-thirds of the Administrations of the Union. They are called together afteragreement with the International Bureau.

2. Each Conference draws up its own regulations.

ARTICLE 20

Committees

Committees charged by a Congress or a Conference with the study of one ormore particular questions are called together by the International Bureau,after agreement, if necessary, with the Administration of the country wheresuch Committees are to meet.

CHAPTER III

PROPOSITIONS IN THE INTERVAL BETWEEN MEETINGS

ARTICLE 21Introduction of propositions

1. In the interval between meetings any Administration has the right toaddress to the other Administrations, through the intermediary of the International Bureau, propositions concerning the Convention, its Final Protocol,and its Regulations.

2. The same right is accorded to the Administrations of the countries participating in the Agreements in regard to those Agreements, their Regulationsand their Final Protocols.

3. In order to be considered, all propositions introduced by an Administration in the interval between meetings must be supported by at least two otherAdministrations. Such propositions are ignored when the International Bureau does not receive, at the same time, the necessary number of declarationsof support.

ARTICLE 22

Examination of propositions

1. Every proposition is submitted to the following procedure: A period oftwo months is allowed for the Administrations to examine the propositionsand send their observations, if any, to the International Bureau. Amendmentsare not accepted. The replies are assembled by the International Bureau andcommunicated to the Administrations, with an invitation to pronounce themselves for or against. Those which have not sent in their votes within a period


of two months are considered as abstaining. The periods above mentionedare counted from the dates of the circulars of the International Bureau.

2. If the proposition concerns an Agreement, its Regulations, or their FinalProtocols, only the Administrations which have adhered to that Agreementmay take part in the procedure indicated in Section 1.

ARTICLE 23

Conditions of approval

1. In order to become effective, the propositions must obtain:

(a) Unanimity of votes, if it is a question of adding new provisions ormodifying the provisions of Titles I and II or of Articles 35 to 39, 57 to 63,65 to 74 of the Convention, of any of the Articles of its Final Protocol and ofArticles 101, 105, 117, 152, 163, and 184 of its Regulations;

(b) Two-thirds of the votes, if it is a question of modifying provisionsother than those mentioned under letter (a) ;

(c) An absolute majority, if it is a question of interpreting the provisionsof the Convention, its Final Protocol or its Regulations, except in the case ofdisagreement to be submitted to arbitration as provided for by Article 12.

2. The Agreements fix the conditions to which the approval of propositions concerning them is subject.

ARTICLE 24

Notification of decisions

1. Additions to and modifications of the Convention, the Agreementsand the Final Protocols of those Acts are sanctioned by a diplomatic declaration which the Government of the Swiss Confederation is charged with preparing and transmitting, at the request of the International Bureau, to thegovernments of the contracting countries.

2. Additions to and modifications of the Regulations and their FinalProtocols are recorded and communicated to the Administrations by theInternational Bureau. The same applies to the interpretations contemplatedin Article 23, Section 1, letter (c) .

ARTICLE 25

Effective date of decisions

No addition or modification adopted is effective until at least three monthsafter its notification.

CHAPTER IV

INTERNATIONAL BUREAU

ARTICLE 26

General functions

1. A central Office, operating at Berne under the name of InternationalBureau of the Universal Postal Union, and placed under the supervision of


the Swiss Postal Administration, serves as an organ of liaison, informationand consultation for the countries of the Union.

2. That Bureau is charged, in particular, with assembling, coordinating,publishing and distributing information of all kinds concerning the international postal service; with giving, at the request of the interested parties,an opinion on questions in dispute; with examining requests for modificationof the Acts of the Congress; with giving notice of the changes adopted;and, in general, with undertaking such studies and work of editing and ofdocumentation as the Convention, the Agreements and their Regulationsmay assign to it, or which may be entrusted to it in the interest of the Union.

3. It acts as a clearing-house for the settlement of accounts of all kindsrelative to the international postal service, between Administrations requesting such intervention.

ARTICLE 27

Expenses of the International Bureau

1. Each Congress fixes the maximum figure for the ordinary annual expenses of the International Bureau. Those expenses, as well as the extraordinary expenses arising from the meeting of a Congress, a Conferenceor a Committee, and the expenses resulting from special work entrustedto that Bureau, are shared by all the countries of the Union.

2. The latter are divided, for that purpose, into 7 classes, each of whichcontributes to the payment of the expenses in the following proportion:

1st class, 25 units2d " 20 "3d " 15 "4th " 10 "5th " 5 "6th " 3 "7th " 1 unit

3. In case of a new adhesion, the Government of the Swiss Confederationdetermines, by mutual agreement with the government of the country concerned, the class in which the latter is to be placed for the apportionmentof the expenses of the International Bureau.

TITLE II

GENERAL REGULATIONS

SOLE CHAPTER

ARTICLE 28

Freedom of transit

1. Freedom of transit is guaranteed throughout the entire territory ofthe Union.

2. Freedom of transit for parcel post to be sent by the land and sea routesis limited to the territory of countries participating in that service.


3. Freedom of transit for air-mail parcels is guaranteed throughout the entire territory of the Union. However, the Administrations which have notadhered to the Agreement concerning parcel post may not be obliged toparticipate in the transmission of air-mail parcels by the land and sea routes.

4. The Administrations which have adhered to the Agreement concerningparcel post are obliged to assure the transit of C. O. D. parcels, even if theydo not accept such parcels in their service or if the amount to be collectedexceeds the maximum fixed for their own traffic.7

5. Insured articles may be sent in transit in closed mails through the territory of countries which do not provide such service, or by maritime serviceswhere responsibility for insured articles is not accepted by the countries, butthe responsibility of those countries is limited to that prescribed for registeredarticles.

ARTICLE 29

Prohibition against unauthorized charges

It is forbidden to collect postal charges of any kind whatever other thanthose prescribed by the Convention and Agreements.

ARTICLE 30

Temporary suspension of services

When, as a result of exceptional circumstances, an Administration findsitself obliged to suspend the execution of services temporarily, in whole orin part, it is bound to give notice thereof immediately, by telegraph if necessary, to the Administration or Administrations concerned.

ARTICLE 31

Monetary standards

The franc used as the monetary unit in the provisions of the Conventionand Agreements is the gold franc of 100 centimes weighing 10/31 of agram and having a fineness of 0.900.

ARTICLE 32

Equivalents

In each country of the Union, the postage rates are fixed according toequivalents corresponding as exactly as possible to the value of the francin the money of that country.

7 Transfer of § 7 of Article 29 of the Buenos Aires Agreement concerning Parcel Post.[Footnote in original.]


ARTICLE 33

Forms. Language

1. The forms used by the Administrations in their reciprocal relationsshall be drawn up in the French language, with or without an interlineartranslation in another language, unless the Administrations concerned ar~

range otherwise by direct agreement.2. The forms used by the public shall include an interlinear translation

in the French language when they are not printed in that language.3. The texts, colors and dimensions of the forms mentioned in Sections

1 and 2 shall be those prescribed by the Regulations of the Conventionand of the Agreements.

4. Administrations may agree as to the language to be employed forofficial correspondence in their reciprocal relations.

ARTICLE 34

Postal identity cards

1. Any Administration may issue, to persons who apply for them, postalidentity cards valid as proof of identity for all post-office business in thecountries which have not given notice of their refusal to admit them.

2. The Administration issuing a card is authorized to collect a chargetherefor not exceeding 70 centimes.

3. Administrations are released from all responsibility when it is provedthat a mail article was delivered or a money order paid upon presentationof a valid card. Neither are they responsible for the consequences of loss, theftor fraudulent use of a valid card.

4. The card is valid for three years from the date of issue.

TITLE III

PROVISIONS CONCERNING POSTAL CORRESPONDENCE

CHAPTER I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 35

Articles of correspondence

The term articles of correspondence applies to letters, single and reply-paidpost cards, commercial papers, prints, raised print for the blind, samples ofmerchandise, small packets, and Phonopost articles.

UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION-JULY 5, 1947

ARTICLE 36

497

Postage rates and general conditions

1. The postage rates for the transportation of articles of correspondencethroughout the entire extent of the Union, including their delivery at theresidence of the addressees in countries where the delivery service is or may beestablished, and the limits of weight and dimensions, are fixed in accordancewith the following table:

Limits of-Articles Units of Rates

weightWeight DimensionR

I 2 3 4 5

Letters:Length, breadth, and thick-

g c ness combined, 90 em.;First unit of weight. ...... } 20 20 }2kg ....... but greatest length, 60Each additional unit ...... 12 em.; in rolls: length and

twice the diameter, 100em. ; but greatest length,80 em.

Post cards:Single .................. . . . . . . . . 12 ............ lMaximum 15 by 10.5 em.;With reply paid .......... ....... . 24 ............ minimum 10 by 7 em.

Commercial papers ......... 50 ...... 2 kg .......First unit of weight ....... ....... . 8 ............Each additional unit. ..... ....... . 4 ............Minimum charge ......... ....... . 20 ............

Prints ..................... 50 ...... 3 kg. (5kg. for As for letters.single Prints sent open in the formvolumes) of folded or unfolded

First unit of weight. ...... ........ 8 . ........... cards are subject to theEach additional unit. ..... ........ 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . same minimum limits as

Raised print for the blind .... 1,000 2 7 kg ....... post cards.Samples of merchandise ..... 50 ...... 500g ......

First unit of weight ....... ....... . 8 ............Each additional unit. ..... ....... . 4 ............

Small packets .............. 50 8 I kg .......Minimum charge ......... ....... . 40 ............

Phonopost articles: Length, breadth, and thick-ness combined, 60 em. ;

First unit of weight. ...... } 2015

}60 goo .....but the greatest dimen-

Each additional unit ...... 10 sion may not exceed 26em.

2. The limits of weight and dimensions fixed by Section 1 do not applyto the correspondence relative to the postal service mentioned in Article 52,Section 1, hereafter.

3. Each Administration has the option of granting to newspapers andperiodicals published in its country a reduction of 50 percent in the general


rate for prints, while reserving the right to limit that reduction to newspapersand periodicals sent directly by the publishers or their representatives, or togrant it only to newspapers and periodicals which comply with conditionsimposed by the domestic regulations for acceptance at the newspaper rate.There are excluded from the reduction, regardless of the regularity of theirpublication, commercial prints such as catalogs, prospectuses, price lists, etc.

4. Administrations may also grant the same reduction, irrespective of thesenders, to books and pamphlets, sheet-music and maps which do not containany publicity or advertising other than that appearing on the covers or flyleaves of these articles.

5. The Administrations of origin which have accepted in principle thereduction of 50 percent, reserve the right to fix, for the articles contemplatedin Sections 3 and 4 above, a minimum charge which, while remaining withinthe limits of the reduction of 50 percent, is not lower than the charge applicable to the same articles in their domestic service.

6. Articles other than registered letters in sealed envelopes may not contain coins, banknotes, paper money or any instruments of value payable tothe bearer; manufactured or unmanufactured platinum, gold or silver; precious stones, jewelry, or other precious articles.

7. The Administrations of the countries of origin and destination have theoption of treating, in accordance with their domestic legislation, letters whichcontain documents having the character of actual personal correspondenceaddressed to persons other than the addressee or persons residing with thelatter.

8. With the exceptions provided for in the Regulations, commercialpapers, prints, prints for the use of the blind, samples of merchandise, andsmall packets shall:

(a) be made up in such a way as to be able to be easily inspected;(b) not bear any notation or contain any document having the character

of actual personal correspondence;(c) not contain any postage stamp or form of prepayment, canceled or

uncanceled, or any paper representing a value.

9. Samples of merchandise may not contain any article having a salablevalue.

10. The services of small packets and of Phonopost articles are limited tothe countries which have agreed to exchange such articles, either in theirreciprocal relations or in one direction only.

11. The inclusion in a single package of articles of correspondence ofdifferent classes (grouped articles) is authorized under the conditions fixedby the Regulations.

12. With the exceptions provided for by the Convention and its Regulations, articles which do not fulfill the conditions prescribed by the presentArticle and the corresponding Articles of the Regulations are not dispatched.

UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION-JULY 5,1947 499

Articles which have been wrongly accepted shall be returned to the countryof origin. However, the Administration of destination is authorized to deliverthem to the addressees. In such a case, it applies to them, if need be, the ratesand surcharges prescribed for the class of correspondence in which they haveto be placed because of their contents, weight or dimensions. As for articlesexceeding the maximum weight-limits fixed by Section 1, they may be ratedin accordance with their actual weight.

ARTICLE 37

Prepayment

or insufficiently prepaid, or reply post cards both halves of which are not fullyprepaid by the sender.

3. When a large number of letters or single post cards is mailed unprepaidor insufficiently prepaid, or reply post cards both halves of which are not fullyprepaid at the time of mailing, are not dispatched.

3. When a large number of letters or single post cards is mailed unprepaidor insufficiently prepaid, the Administration of the country of origin has theoption of returning them to the sender.

ARTICLE 38

C~arge on unprepaid or insufficiently prepaid correspondence

1. With the exceptions provided for by Article 57, Section 6, for registeredarticles, and by Article 136, Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Regulations for certainclasses of redirected articles, letters and single post cards not prepaid or insufficiently prepaid are liable to a charge equal to double the amount of themissing postage, to be paid by the addressee; but that charge may not belower than 5 centimes.

2. The same treatment may be applied, in the cases above contemplated,to other articles of correspondence which have been improperly dispatched tothe country of destination.

ARTICLE 39

Surcharges

1. There may be collected, in addition to the rates fixed by Article 36, forevery article transported by extraordinary services involving special expenses,a surcharge proportionate to those expenses.

2. When the rate of prepayment of the single post card includes the surcharge authorized by Section 1, the same rate is applicable to each half ofthe reply-paid post card.


ARTICLE 40

Special charges

1. The Administrations are authorized to charge an additional fee in accordance with the provisions of their own legislation for articles posted intheir services for dispatch after the mails have closed.

2. Articles addressed to general delivery may be subjected by the Administrations of the countries of destination to such special charge as may beprescribed by their legislation for articles of the same kind in the domesticservIce.

3. The Administrations of the countries of destination are authorized tocollect a special charge of 40 centimes at most for each small packet deliveredto the addressee. That charge may be increased by 20 centimes at most incase of delivery at the addressee's residence.

ARTICLE 41

Dutiable articles

1. Small packets and prints liable to customs duty are accepted.2. The same applies to letters and samples of merchandise containing duti

able articles when the country of destination has given its consent. However,each Administration has the right to limit the service of letters containingdutiable articles to registered letters.

3. Shipments of serums and vaccines, benefiting by the exception stipulated by Article 124 of the Regulations, are accepted in all cases.

ARTICLE 42

Customs inspection

The Administration of the country of destination is authorized to submitthe articles mentioned in Article 41 to customs inspection and, if necessary, toopen them without further formality.

ARTICLE 43

Customs-clearance fee

Articles submitted to customs inspection in the country of destination maybe charged on that account, by the postal service, with a customs-clearancefee of 40 centimes at most per article.

ARTICLE 44

Customs duties and other non-postal charges

The Administrations are authorized to collect from the addressees of mailarticles the customs duties and all other non-postal charges which may bedue.


ARTICLE 45

Articles free of charges

501

1. In relations between countries which have come to an agreement tothat effect, senders may, by means of a previous declaration at the office ofmailing, assume payment of all the postal and non-postal charges with whichthe articles are assessed on delivery. In such a case, senders must promise topay such amounts as may be claimed by the office of destination, and, if needbe, post a sufficient deposit.

2. The Administration of destination is authorized to collect a commissionfee which may not exceed 40 centimes per article. This fee is independent ofthe one provided for by Article 43.

3. Any Administration has the right to limit this prepayment service toregistered articles.

ARTICLE 46

Cancellation of customs duty and other non-postal charges

The Administrations undertake to make representations to the serviceswhich are concerned of their countries with a view to having the customsduties and other non-postal charges annulled on articles returned to the country of origin, destroyed because of complete deterioration of the contents, orforwarded to a third country.

ARTICLE 47

Special-delivery articles

1. Articles of correspondence are, at the request of the senders, deliveredto the addressees by special messenger immediately after their arrival, incountries whose Administrations agree to undertake that service.

2. Such articles, known as special-delivery articles, are liable, in additionto the regular postage, to a special fee amounting at least to the postage onan ordinary single-rate letter, and at most to 60 centimes. This fee must befully prepaid.

3. When the addressee's residence is situated outside the local delivery zoneof the office of destination, delivery by special messenger may give rise to thecollection of a supplementary charge by the Administration of destination,not exceeding that collected in the domestic service for articles of the samekind. However, special delivery is not obligatory in such cases.

4. Special-delivery articles upon which the total amount of the chargespayable in advance has not been prepaid are delivered by the ordinary means,unless they have been treated as special-delivery articles by the office of origin.In the latter case, the articles are rated in accordance with the provisions ofArticle 38.


5. It is permissible for Administrations to make only one attempt to deliver by special messenger. If such attempt is unsuccessful, the article may betreated as an ordinary article.

ARTICLE 48

Articles to be delivered to the addressee only

In relations with Administrations which have given their consent, registered articles of correspondence accompanied by a return receipt are delivered, at the sender's request, to the addressee only.

ARTICLE 49

Prohibitions

1. The sending of the articles mentioned in Column 1 of the table belowis prohibited. When mail articles containing them have been wrongly accepted for mailing, they shall undergo the treatment indicated in Column 2.

sub- }TO be destroyed on the spot by theAdministration which discovers theirpresence.

Articles

(a) Articles which, by their nature or packing,may expose postal employees to danger,or soil or damage the mails;

(b) Articles liable to customs duty (with theexceptions provided for by Article 41), aswell as samples sent in quantities for thepurpose of avoiding the collection of suchduty;

(c) Opium, morphine, cocaine, and othernarcotics;

(d) Articles whose acceptance or circulationis prohibited in the country of destination;

(e) Live animals, with the exception of:I. Bees, leeches and silkworms;2. Parasites and predators of injurious

insects intended for the control of suchinsects and exchanged between officially recognized agencies;

(f) Explosive, inflammable or dangerousstances;

(g) Obscene or immoral articles.

Treatment of articles wrongly aecepted

2

To be treated in accordance withthe domestic regulations of theAdministration which discoverstheir presence; however, the articles mentioned under (c) are inno case either forwarded to destination, delivered to the addresseesor returned to origin;

2. In cases where articles wrongly accepted for mailing are neitherreturned to origin nor delivered to the addressee, the dispatching Administration shall be notified, in a precise manner, of the disposal made of sucharticles.

3. Moreover, the right is reserved for any country not to convey in transitin open mail over its territory articles other than letters and post cards inregard to which the legal provisions regulating the conditions of their publication or circulation in that country have not been observed. Such articles shallbe returned to the country of origin.


ARTICLE 50

111ethods of prepayment

1. Prepayment of postage is effected either by means of postage stampsvalid in the country of origin for the correspondence of private individuals,or by means of impressions of stamping machines officially adopted andoperating under the immediate control of the Administration; or, in the caseof prints, by means of impressions, printed or otherwise obtained, when sucha system of indicia is authorized by the domestic regulations of theAdministration of origin.

2. The following are considered as duly prepaid: Reply post cards bearing printed or adhesive postage stamps of the country of issue of such cards;articles regularly prepaid for their first transmission on which the additionalpostage has been paid before their redirection; as well as newspapers orpackages of newspapers and periodicals whose address bears the wordsAbonnements-poste (Subscription by mail) which are sent under the Agreement concerning subscriptions to newspapers and periodicals.

ARTICLE 51

Prepayment of correspondence on board ships

Correspondence mailed on the high seas, in the box on board a vessel,or handed to postal agents on board or to the commanders of vessels, maybe prepaid, barring contrary agreement between the Administrations concerned, by means of the postage stamps and according to the postage ratesof the country to which the said vessel belongs or by which it is maintained.If the mailing on board takes place during the stay at one of the two terminalpoints of the voyage or at one of the intermediate ports of call, the prepayment is valid only if it is effected by means of the postage stamps and according to the postage rates of the country in whose waters the vessel happensto be. '

ARTICLE 52

Franking privilege

1. Correspondence relating to the postal service exchanged between PostalAdministrations, between those Administrations and the International Bureau, between post offices of countries of the Union, and between thoseoffices and the Administrations, as well as that for which the frankingprivilege is expressly provided by the provisions of the Convention, theAgreements and their Regulations, is exempt from all postal charges.

2. Except when they bear C. O. D. charges, mail articles addressed toprisoners of war or mailed by them are likewise exempt from all postal

219-91S--70----30


charges, not only in the countries of origin and destination but also in theintermediary countries.

3. The same is true of correspondence concerning prisoners of war, ~ent

or received either directly or as intermediary by the Central InformationOffice for Prisoners of War, as provided for in Article 79 of the InternationalConvention of Geneva of July 27, 1929,8 or by information offices which maybe established for the benefit of such persons in belligerent countries or inneutral countries which have received belligerents in their territory.

4. Belligerents received and interned in a neutral country, as well as civilians of enemy nationality detained in civilian camps or prisons, are assimilatedto prisoners of war properly so called, insofar as the application of the provisions mentioned above is concerned.

ARTICLE 53

International reply coupons

1. International reply coupons are placed on sale in the countries of theUnion.

2. Their selling-price is determined by the Administrations concerned, butmay not be less than 28 centimes or the equivalent in money of the countryselling them.

3. Each coupon is exchangeable in any country for a stamp or stampsrepresenting the postage on a single-rate ordinary letter originating in thatcountry and addressed to a foreign country.

4. Moreover, the right is reserved for any country to require that thecoupons and the articles of correspondence for the prepayment of which theyare to be exchanged be presented at the same time.

ARTICLE 54

Withdrawal. Change of address

1. The sender of an article of correspondence may cause it to be withdrawn from the mails or have its address changed, provided that such articlehas not been delivered to the addressee, that it does not come within thescope of the provisions contained in Article 49, or that the customs examination does not reveal any irregularity.

2. The request to be made to that effect is transmitted by mail or by telegraph at the expense of the sender, who shall pay for each request afee of 40 centimes at the most. If the request has to be transmitted by airmail or by telegraph, the sender shall pay, in addition, the air mail surchargeor telegraph charges.

3. For each request for withdrawal or change of address relating to several articles mailed simultaneously at the same office by the same sender

• TS 846, ante, vol. 2, p. 932.


to the same addressee, only one fee or surcharge as mentioned in Section 2shall be collected.

4. A simple correction of address (without changing the name or the titleof the addressee) may be requested of the office of destination directly bythe sender, that is, without complying with the formalities and paying thecharges mentioned in Sections 2 and 3.9

ARTICLE 55

Forwarding. Undelivered correspondence

1. In case of change of residence by the addressee, articles of correspondence are forwarded to him, unless the sender has forbidden the forwarding by a notation placed on the address side in a language known inthe country of destination.

2. Correspondence which is undeliverable shall be returned immediatelyto the country of origin.

3. The period of retention for correspondence held at the disposal of theaddressees or addressed to general delivery is fixed by the regulations of thecountry of destination. However, such period may not exceed one month asa general rule, except in particular cases where the Administration of destination deems it necessary to extend it to two months at most. The return to thecountry of origin must take place within a shorter period, if the sender hasso requested by a notation placed on the address side in a language knownin the country of destination.

4. Prints without value are not returned, unless the sender has requestedtheir return by a notation placed on the article in a language known in thecountry of destination. Registered prints shall always be returned.

5. The forwarding of articles of correspondence from country to country,or their return to the country of origin, does not give rise to the collection ofany additional charge, apart from the exceptions provided for by theRegulations.

6. Forwarded or returned articles of correspondence are delivered to theaddressees or senders upon payment of the charges due on them on departure,on arrival or in the course of transmission, as a result of redirection after thefirst transmission, without prejudice to the repayment of the customs dutiesor other special charges which the country of destination does not agree tocancel.

7. In case of forwarding to another country, or of non-delivery, the general-delivery fee, the customs-clearance fee, the commission fee, the additional special-delivery fee, and the special fee for the delivery of small packetsto the addressees, are canceled.

• Transfer of the provision of Article 151 of the Regulations of Execution of the BuenosAires Convention, 1939. [Footnote in originaL]


ARTICLE 56

Inquiries and requests for information

1. An inquiry or request for information as to the disposal made of anyarticle may give rise to the collection of a fee of 40 centimes at most. When,at the request of the party concerned, an inquiry or request for information must be sent by air mail, this fee plus the air mail surcharge, or doublethis surcharge if the reply is to be returned in the same manner, must be collected. In the event that telegraph service is requested, the telegraph chargeis collected in addition to the prescribed fee.

2. For each inquiry or request for information relating to several articlesmailed simultaneously at the same office by the same sender to the same addressee, only one charge or surcharge as mentioned in Section 1 shall becollected.

3. As for registered articles, no fee is collected, if the sender has alreadypaid the special fee for a return receipt.

4. Inquiries are accepted only within the period of one year, countingfrom the day following the date of mailing of the article. However, everyAdministration is bound to comply with simple requests for information presented after that period which it receives from another Administration regarding articles mailed less than two years previously.

5. Every Administration is obliged to accept inquiries and requests forinformation concerning articles mailed in the territory of otherAdministrations.

6. When an inquiry or a request for information has been made necessary through a fault of the service, the fee collected therefor is returned.

CHAPTER II

REGISTERED ARTICLES

ARTICLE 57

Charges

1. The articles of correspondence designated in Article 35 may be sentunder registration.

2. The postage on all registered articles must be paid in advance. It con-sists of:

(a) The ordinary postage on the article, according to its class;(b) A fixed registration fee of 40 centimes at most.

3. The fixed registration fee applicable to the reply half of a post cardcannot be legally paid by anyone but the sender of that half.


4. A receipt shall be delivered without charge to the sender of a registered article at the time of mailing.

5. Countries disposed to assume risks arising from force majeure (causesbeyond control) are authorized to collect a special charge of 40 centimesat most for each registered article.

6. Unprepaid or insufficiently prepaid registered articles which have beenwrongly sent to the country of destination are liable, at the expense of theaddressees, to a charge equal to the amount of the missing postage.

ARTICLE 58

Return receipts

1. The sender of a registered article may request a return receipt by paying,at the time of mailing, a fixed charge of 30 centimes at most.

2. The return receipt may be requested after the mailing of the article,within the period of one year and upon payment of the charge prescribedby Article 56 for inquiries.

ARTICLE 59

Extent of responsibility

1. With the exceptions provided for by Article 60 following, Administrations are responsible for the loss of registered articles.

2. The sender is entitled, on that account, to indemnity, the amount ofwhich is fixed at 25 francs per article.

3. Administrations assume no responsibility for articles seized by thecustoms.

ARTICLE 60

Exceptions to the principle of responsibility

Administrations are released from all responsibility for loss of registeredarticles:

(a) In case of force majeure; however, responsibility is maintained withregard to an Administration of origin which has undertaken to cover risksof force majeure (Article 57, Section 5). The country responsible for the lossmust decide, in accordance with its domestic legislation, whether such lossis due to circumstances constituting a case of force majeure; these circumstances shall be brought to the attention of the country of origin, for itsinformation;

(b) When, proof of their responsibility not having been furnished otherwise, they cannot account for articles as a result of destruction of servicerecords due to a case of force majeure;

(c) When it is a question of articles whose contents fall within the scopeof the prohibitions laid down by Articles 36, Sections 6 and 8, letter (c), and49, Section 1 ;


(d) When the sender has not made any inquiry within the period of oneyear contemplated by Article 56.

ARTICLE 61

Termination of responsibility

Administrations cease to be responsible for registered articles the deliveryof which they have effected under the conditions prescribed by their domestic regulations for articles of the same nature.

ARTICLE 62

Fixing of responsibility

1. Until the contrary is proved, responsibility for the loss of a registeredarticle falls on the Administration which, having received the article without making any observations, and, being furnished all particulars of inquiryprescribed by the regulations, cannot establish either delivery to the addresseeor regular transmission to the next Administration, as the case may be.

2. An intermediary Administration or one of destination is, until the contrary is proved, released from all responsibility:

(a) When it has observed the provisions of Article 150, Section 4, of theRegulations;

(b) When it can establish that it did not receive the inquiry until afterthe destruction of the service records relating to the article sought, the retention-period prescribed by Article 169 of the Regulations having expired; thisreservation does not prejudice the rights of the claimant.

3. However, if the loss has taken place in the course of transmission, without its being possible to determine the country in whose territory or servicethe loss occurred, the Administrations concerned bear the loss in equalshares.

4. When a registered article has been lost under circumstances of forcemajeure, the Administration in whose territory or in whose service the losstook place is not responsible therefor to the Administration of origin unlessboth countries undertake risks arising from cases of force majeure.

5. The customs duties and other charges whose cancellation it has beenimpossible to obtain are charged to the Administrations responsible for theloss.

6. The Administration which has effected payment of the indemnity issubrogated in the rights of the person who has received it up to the amountthereof, for eventual recourse against the addressee, the sender, or thirdparties.

7. In case of subsequent recovery of a registered article considered as lost,or part of such article, the sender and the addressee shall be informed to thateffect.


8. In addition, the sender shall be informed that he may obtain possessionof the article within a period of three months upon repayment of the amountof the indemnity received. If, during such period, the sender does not claimthe article, the addressee shall be advised that he may obtain possession of itwithin a similar period by paying the amount awarded to the sender.

9. If the sender or the addressee obtains possession of the article by repaying the amount of the indemnity, this amount shall be refunded to theAdministration or Administrations which paid for the loss.

10. If the sender and the addressee waive delivery of the article, the latteris considered as undeliverable.

ARTICLE 63

Payment of indemnity

The obligation of paying indemnity falls upon the Administration to whichthe mailing office of the article belongs, subject to its right to file a claimagainst the responsible Administration.

ARTICLE 64

Period for payment of indemnity

1. Payment of indemnity must take place as soon as possible, and at thelatest within the period of six months, counting from the day following thedate of the inquiry. That period is extended to nine months in relations withdistant countries.

2. The Administration of mailing of the article which does not acceptrisks arising from force majeure may postpone settlement for the indemnitybeyond the period prescribed by Section 1 when the question of knowingwhether the loss of the article was due to a case of that kind has not yet beensettled.

3. The Administration of origin is authorized to settle with the sender onbehalf of an intermediate Administration or one of destination which, dulynotified, has let pass three months or six months in relations with distantcountries, without settling the matter. A longer period is granted if the lossappears due to a case of force majeure; in any event, such fact must bebrought to the attention of the Administration of origin.

ARTICLE 65

Repayment of the indemnity to the Administration of origin

1. The Administration which is responsible, or on whose behalf paymentis made in accordance with Article 64, is bound to reimburse the Administration of origin, within a period of six months, counted from the sending ofthe notification of payment, for the amount of indemnity actually paid to the


sender. This period is extended to nine months in relations with distantcountries.

2. If the indemnity must be paid by several Administrations in conformitywith article 62, the entire indemnity due must be turned over to the Administration of origin, within the period mentioned in Section 1, by the first Administration which, having duly received the article inquired about cannotestablish its regular transmission to the corresponding service. It is incumbent upon that Administration to recover from the other responsible Administrations whatever contribution is due from them individually toward theindemnity paid to the rightful claimant.

3. The reimbursement of the creditor Administration is effected withoutexpense for that Administration by means of either a money order, a checkor a draft payable at sight on the capital or a commercial city of the creditorcountry, or in coin current in that country.

4. When responsibility has been acknowledged, as well as in the case contemplated by Article 64, Section 3, the amount of indemnity may likewise berecovered from the responsible country officially through any account, eitherdirectly or through the intermediary of an Administration which regularlyexchanges accounts with the responsible Administration.

5. At the expiration of the period of six months, the sum due to the Administration of origin bears interest at the rate of 5 per cent a year, counting fromthe date of expiration of the said period. This period is extended to ninemonths in relations with distant countries.

6. The Administration of origin may claim repayment of the indemnityfrom the responsible Administration only within the period of one year, counting from the date of sending the notification of the loss, or, if occasion arises,from the date of expiration of the period contemplated by Article 64, Section3.

7. An Administration whose responsibility is duly established and whichhas at first declined to pay the indemnity must bear all the additional expensesresulting from the unjustified delay in making payment.

8. Administrations may agree among themselves to make periodical settlements of the indemnities which they have paid to the senders and the justnessof which they have recognized.

CHAPTER III

ALLOCATION OF POSTAGE. TRANSIT CHARGES

ARTICLE 66

Allocation of postage

Except in cases expressly provided for by the Convention, each Administration retains all of the postage which it collects.

UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION'---jULY 5, 1947

ARTICLE 67

511

Transit charges

1. Articles of correspondence exchanged in closed mails between two Administrations, by means of the services of one or more other Administrations(third services), are liable, for the benefit of each of the countries traversedor whose services participate in the conveyance, to the transit charges indicated in the following table:

Per kilogram

10 Territorial transit:Up to 1,000 km .From 1,000 to 2,000 km .From 2,000 to 3,000 km .From 3,000 to 6,000 km .From 6,000 to 9,000 km .Over 9,000 km .

20 11aritime transit:

Up to 300 nautical miles .From 300 to 1,500 nautical miles .Between Europe and North America .From 1,500 to 6,000 nautical miles .Over 6,000 nautical miles .

of lettersand post

cards

Fr.c.O. 600.80I. 202.002. 803. 60

O. 60I. 602.403. 204. 80

of otherarticles

Fr.c.0.080.120.16O. 24O. 320.40

0.08O. 200.320.40O. 60

2. The transit charges for maritime conveyance on a route not exceeding300 nautical miles are fixed at one-third the amounts set forth in Section 1,if the Administration concerned already receives, on account of the mailstransported, compensation for territorial transit.

3. In the case of maritime transit effected by two or more Administrations,the total maritime transit charges may not exceed 4 francs 80 centimes perkilogram of letters and post cards or 60 centimes per kilogram of otherarticles. When occasion arises, those maximum amounts are divided betweenthe Administrations taking part in the transportation in proportion to thedistances traversed.

4. Barring contrary agreement, maritime transportation effected directlybetween two countries by means of ships of one of them, as well as conveyanceeffected between two offices of one and the same country through the intermediary of services of another country, is considered as a third service.

5. Small packets, newspapers or packages of newspapers and periodicalssent by virtue of the Agreement concerning subscriptions to newspapers andperiodicals, as well as insured boxes sent by virtue of the Agreement concerning insured letters and boxes, are considered as other articles in regard totransit.

219-91S--;0----34


6. Missent dispatches are considered, in regard to the payment of transitcharges, as if they had followed their nonnal route.

ARTICLE 68

Exemption from transit charges

The following are exempt from all territorial or maritime transit charges:The correspondence sent free of postage mentioned in Article 52; reply postcards returned to the country of origin; redirected articles; returned undeliverable articles; return receipts; money orders; and all other documents relating to the postal service, particularly correspondence relative to postal checks.

ARTICLE 69

Extraordinary services

The transit charges specified in Article 67 do not apply to transportation bymeans of extraordinary services specially created or maintained by one Administration at the request of one or more other Administrations. The conditions for that class of conveyance are fixed by mutual agreement between theAdministrations concerned.

ARTICLE 70

Payments and accounts

1. The cost of transit is borne by the Administration of the country oforigin.

2. The general accounting for such charges is effected on the basis ofstatistics taken once every three years, during a period of fourteen days. Thatperiod is extended to twenty-eight days for dispatches exchanged less thansix times a week through the services of any country. The Regulations fix theperiod and the duration of the application of the statistics.

3. When the annual balance between two Administrations does not exceed25 francs, the debtor Administration is exempted from any payment.

4. Any Administration is authorized to submit to a' board of arbitratorsfor consideration the results of statistics which, in its opinion, differ too greatlyfrom reality. Such arbitration is effected in accordance with the provisions ofArticle 12.

5. The arbitrators are authorized to determine the proper amount of transit charges to be paid.

ARTICLE 71

Exchange of closed mails with warships

1. Closed mails may be exchanged between the post offices of anyone ofthe contracting countries and the commanding officers of naval divisions orwarships of the same country stationed abroad, or between the commandingofficer of one of those naval divisions or warships and the commanding officer

UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION--JULY 5, 1947 513

of another division or ship of the same country, through the intermediary ofland or sea services of other countries.

2. Correspondence of all kinds comprised in such dispatches shall be exclusively addressed to or sent by the officers and crews of the ships of destination or origin of the mail ; the rates and conditions of dispatch applicable tothem are determined, according to its domestic regulations, by the PostalAdministration of the country to which the ships belong.

3. Barring contrary agreement, the Administration of the country to whichthe warships belong is indebted to the intermediary Administrations for thetransit charges of the dispatches calculated in accordance with the provisionsof Article 67.

MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 72

Failure to observe freedom of transit

When a country does not observe the provisions of Article 28 concerningfreedom of transit, Administrations have the right to discontinue postalservice with that country. They must give advance notice of that measureby telegraph to the Administrations concerned.

ARTICLE 73

Obligations relative to penal measures

The contracting countries undertake to adopt, or to propose to their respective legislative bodies, the necessary measures:

(a) To punish the counterfeiting of postage stamps, even if withdrawnfrom circulation, international reply coupons, and postal identity cards;

(b) To punish the use or placing in circulation of

( 1) counterfeit postage stamps (even if withdrawn from circulation) orused stamps, as well as counterfeit or used impressions of stamping machinesor of printing presses;

(2) counterfeit international reply coupons;(3) counterfeit postal identity cards;

(c) To puniSh the fraudulent use of regular postal identity cards;(d) To prohibit and suppress all fraudulent operations of manufacture

and placing in circulation of embossed or adhesive stamps in use in the postalservice, which are counterfeited or imitated in such a way that they could beconfused with embossed or adhesive stamps issued by one of the contractingcountries;

(e) To prevent, and, if occasion arises, to punish the insertion of opium,morphine, cocaine or other narcotics, as wen as explosive or easily inflammable substances in mail articles in which such insertion is not expresslyauthorized by the Convention and Agreements.


FINAL PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 74

Effective date and duration of the Convention

The present Convention will become effective on July 1, 1948, and willremain in force for an indefinite period.

In testimony whereof, the plenipotentiaries of the Governments of thecountries above enumerated have signed the present Convention in one copy,which will be filed in the Archives of the Government of the French Republic,and a copy of which will be delivered to each party.

Done at Paris, July 5, 1947.For Afghanistan:

ISLAM BAY KHAN

A. KAYOUM

For the Union of South Africa:L. C. BURKE ,.

For Albania:KAHREMAN YLLI

For Germany:

For the United States of America:JOHN]' GILLEN

For Frank Pace, Jr.:JOHN]' GILLEN

EDWARD]. MAHONEY

FREDERICK E. BATRUS

For all the possessions of the UnitedStates of America:

JOHN]' GILLEN

For Frank Pace, Jr.:JOHN]. GILLEN

EDWARD]. MAHONEY

FREDERICK E. BATRUS

For the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:HAFIZ WAHBA

For the Republic of Argentina:For Oscar L. Nicolini:

D. B. CANALLE

D. B. CANALLE

ROQUE DE ZERBI

For the Commonwealth of Australia:L. B. FANNING

W. G. WRIGHT

For Austria:DR. RUDOLF KUHN

For Belgium:STAPPAERTS

O. SCHOCKAERT

]. CARE ME

For the Colony of the Belgian Congo:L. WERY

For the Byelorussian Soviet SocialistRepublic:

Kossov

For Bolivia:A. COSTA Du RELS

For Brazil:RAUL DE ALBUQUERQUE

CARLOS LUIS TAVEIRA

MOACYR BRIGGS

JULIO SANCHEZ PEREZ

For the People's Republic of Bulgaria:G. GHIWRGHIEFF

A. COHENOV

For Canada:W. ]. TURNBULL

E. ]. UNDERWOOD

L. GERMAIN

For Chile:PEDRO EYZACUIRRE

For China:T. TAl

For the Republic of Colombia:L. BORDA ROLDAN

ROBERTO ARCINIEGAS

JORGE PEREZ JIMENO

For Korea:

For Costa Rica:

10 For a declaration made by the South African delegation at the time of signing, seep.525.


For the Republic of Cuba:S. I. CLARK

EVELIO C. jUNCOSA

JESUS LAGO LUNAR

For Denmark:ARNE KROG

]. E. T. ANDERSEN

For the Dominican Republic:DR. M. PASTORIZA

S. E. PARADAS

For Egypt:AHMED MAMDOUH MOUSI BEY

MOAWAD KHALIL BIAHAI

ANOUAR BAKIR

For the Republic of El Salvador:R. BUSTAMANTE

A. SOLER-SERRA

For Ecuador:A. PARRA V.

For Spain:

For all the Spanish Colonies:

For Ethiopia:TESFAIE TEGUEGN

For Finland:jOHAN HELO

URHO TALVITIE

TAUNO PUOLANNE

For France:LE MOUEL

ALBERT LAMARLE

USCLAT

BERNARD

DESMARAIS

DROUET

G. BOURTHOUMIEUX

For Algeria:A. LABRoussE

H. GRAS

For Indochina:SKINAZI

For all the other overseas territories ofthe French Republic and territoriesadministered as such:

SKINAZI

For the United Kingdom of GreatBritain and Northern Ireland:

D. J. LIDBURY

W. H. WEIGHTMAN

R. H. LOCKE

A. D. WILLIAMS

E. P. BELL

A. WOLSTENCROFT

For all the British overseas territories,including colonies, protectorates,and the territories under mandateor under trusteeship exercised bythe Government of the UnitedKingdom of Great Britain andNorthern Ireland:

D. J. LIDBURY

W. H. WEIGHTMAN

R. H. LOCKE

A. L. WILLIAMS

E. P. BELL

A. WOLSTENCROFT

For Gr~ece:

D. VERNARDOS

TH. BREDIMAS

For Guatemala:E. MUNOZ MEANY

For the Republic of Haiti:PLACIDE DAVlD

For the Republic of Honduras:R. A. BUSTAMANTE

A. SOLER-SERRA

For Hungary:MODOS ELEMER

For India:K. PRASADA

C. V. CUNNINGHAM

S. A. SIDDIQI

S. N. DAS GUPTA

N. CHANDRA

For Iran:H. HEDIAZI

I. DARSA

For Iraq:j. HAMDI

BEHER FAIK

For Ireland:S. S. PUlRSEAL

S. 6. H. EIRAMHOIN

For the Republic of Iceland:MAGNES jOCHUMSSON

For Italy:MUSUMECI GIOVANNI

ANTONIO PENN ETTA

PAOLO NOVI

For japan:

For Lebanon:G. NAMMOUR


For the Republic of Liberia:

For Luxembourg:E. RAus

For Morocco (excluding the SpanishZone) :

L. PER NOT

HUMIlERTCLAUDE

For Morocco (Spanish Zone) :

For Mexico:El VILLASENOR

LAURO RAMIREZ

For Nicaragua:

For Norway:STEN HAUG

INGV. LID

HAKON ERIKSEN

For New Zealand:P. N. CRYER

For the Republic of Panama:C. ARROCHA GRAELL

ELIGIO OCANA V.

For Paraguay:For Oscar L. Nicolini:

D. B. CANALLE

DOMINGO B. CANALLE

ROQuE DE ZERIlI

For the Netherlands:V. GOOR

HOFMAN

For Curac;ao and Surinam:V. GOOR

HOFMAN

For the Netherlands Indies:P. DIJKWEL

C. C. VAN DILLEWIJN

For Peru:For Arturo Garcia-Salazar:

CARLOS MACKENHENIE

ERNESTO CACERES

For the Republic of the Philippines:F. CUADERNO

BELARMINO P. NAVARRO

For Poland:B. BLAZEK

T. JARON

M. HERWICH

For Portugal:DUARTE CALHEIROS

JORGE BRAGA

A. BASTOS GAVIAO

J. C. QUADRIO MORAO

For the Portuguese Colonies in WestAfrica:

DOMINGOS ANTONIO DA PIEDADE

BARRETO

JOAQUIM ARNALDO ROGADO QUINTINO

For the Portuguese Colonies in EastAfrica, Asia, and Oceania:

DOMINGOS ANTONIO DA PIEDADE BAR

RETO

Luis CANDIDO TAVEIRA

For Romania:R. ROSCA

I. NICOLAU

For the Republic of San Marino:R. FACCHIN

For Siam:YIM PHUNG PHRAKHUM

For Sweden:GUNNAR LAGER

ALLEN HULTMAN

TURE NYLUND

For the Swiss Confederation:F. J. HESS

TUASON

PH. ZUTTER

CHAPPUIS

H. GRAF

For Syria:ADIIl DAOUDI

For Czechoslovakia:STANISLA" KONECNY

FR. HOFNER

MIROSLAV SOUKUP

DR. FRANT. NORMAN

For the Hashemite Kingdom of TransJordan:

For Tunisia:MACHABEY

For Turkey:I. BESEN

For the Ukrainian Soviet SocialistRepublic:

N. STASS

For the Union of Soviet SocialistRepublics:

P. SARATOVKIN

N. STASS

N. BoucHouEv

D. ERIGIN

For the Oriental Republic of Uruguay:M. AGUERRE ARISTEGUI


For the Vatican City State:EGIDIO V AGNOZZI

A. SELME

For the United States of Venezuela:PABLO CASTRO BECERRA

F. VELEZ SALAS

For y.emen:

For the People's Federative Republic ofYugoslavia:

VLADIMIR SENK

FINAL PROTOCOL OF THE CONVENTION

At the moment of proceeding to sign the Universal Postal Convention concluded on the present date, the undersigned plenipotentiaries have agreedas follows:

I

Withdrawal. Change of address

The provisions of Article 54 do not apply to Great Britain, nor to thoseBritish Dominions, Colonies and Protectorates whose domestic legislationdoes not permit the withdrawal or change of address of correspondence atthe request of the sender.

II

Equivalents. Maximum and minimum limits

1. Each country has the option of increasing by 40 percent, or of decreasing by 20 percent, at most, the postage rates fixed by Article 36, Section 1,in accordance with the indications of the following table:

L {First unit .. '" .etters Each additional unit. .

P d {Single .ost car s With reply. paid.: .

{

FIrst umt. .Commercial papers Each additional unit .

Minimum charge .Raised print for the blind, each 1,000 grams .P' d {First unit. .

nnte matter Each additional unit. .Samples of merchandise{First unit; '.' '.' .

Each addItIonal umt .Small packets, each 50 grams .

Minimum charge ."Ph ," I" Ii I {First unit .

onoros ar C es Each additional unit .

Minimumlimits

Centimes

169.69. 6

19.26.43. 2

161.66.43. 26.43. 26.4

32128

Maximumlimits

Centimes

2816.816.833.6II. 25.6

282.8

II. 25.6

II. 25. 6

II. 2562114


2. The rates chosen shall, as far as possible, be in the same proportionamong themselves as the basic rates, each Administration having the optionof rounding off its rates higher or lower as the case may be, in order to suitthe convenience of its monetary system.

3. The rates adopted by a country are applicable to the charges to be collected upon arrival as a result of absence or insufficiency of prepayment.

III

Exception to the application of the rates for commercial papers) prints andsamples of merchandise

As an exception to the provisions of Article 36, the countries have theright not to apply the rate fixed for the first unit of weight to commercialpapers, prints, and samples and to preserve the rate of 4 centimes for thisunit, with a minimum of 8 centimes for samples of merchandise.

IV

Avoirdupois ounce

It is agreed, as an exceptional measure, that countries which, on accountof their domestic legislation, cannot adopt the decimal metric system ofweights, have the option of substituting therefor the avoirdupois ounce(28.3465 grams), assimilating one ounce to 20 grams for letters and Phonopost articles, and 2 ounces to 50 grams for commercial papers, prints, raisedprint for the use of the blind, samples and small packets.

vMailing of correspondence in another country

No country is bound to forward or deliver to addressees articles whichany senders domiciled on its territory mail or cause to be mailed in a foreigncountry with a view to profiting by lower rates which are established there.The rule applies, without distinction, either to articles prepared in the country inhabited by the sender and subsequently transported across the border,or to articles prepared in a foreign country. The Administration concernedhas the right either to return the articles in question to origin or to chargethem with its domestic postage rates. The methods of collecting the chargesare left to its discretion.

VI

International reply coupons

Administrations have the option of not undertaking the sale of international reply coupons or of limiting their sale.


VII

519

Registration fee

Countries which cannot fix at 40 centimes the registration fee contemplated by Article 56 [57], Section 2, are authorized to collect a fee whichmay amount to as much as 50 centimes, or their domestic registration fee.

VIII

Air services

1. The provisions concerning the transportation of regular mails by airare appended to the Universal Postal Convention and are considered asforming an integral part thereof and of its Regulations.

2. However, by exception to the general provisions of the Convention,the modification of those provisions may be taken under consideration fromtime to time by a Conference comprising the representatives of the Administrations directly concerned.

3. The Conference may be called together through the intermediary ofthe International Bureau, at the request of at least three of theAdministrations.

4. All the provisions proposed by the Conference shall be submitted,through the medium of the International Bureau, to the other countries ofthe Union, to be voted upon. The decision will be made on a majority of thevotes cast.

IX

Exception to freedom of transit for small packets

By exception to the provisions of Article 28, the Postal Administration ofthe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is authorized to refuse the transit ofsmall packets over its territories, with the understanding that this restrictionwill apply indiscriminately to all the countries of the Union.

X

Special transit charges for the Trans-Siberian and Trans-Andean routes

1. By exception to the provisions of Article 67, Section 1 (Table), thePostal Administration of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is authorizedto collect transit charges for the Trans-Siberian Railway for both routes(Manchuria or Vladivostok) at the rate of 4 francs 50 centimes per kilogram of letters and post cards and 50 centimes per kilogram of other articles,for distances exceedinl{ 6,000 kilometers.


2. The Administration of the Argentine Republic is authorized to collecta charge of 30 centimes in addition to the transit charges mentioned inArticle 67, Section I, Figure 10

, of the Convention, for each kilogram ofcorrespondence of any kind carried in transit over the Argentine section ofthe Trans-Andean Railway.

XI

Special transit conditions for Afghanistan

By exception to the provisions of Article 67, Section I, the Administrationof Afghanistan is authorized temporarily, because of the special difficultiesfacing it as regards transportation and communication facilities, to effectthe transit of closed mails and correspondence in open mail through itscountry under special conditions agreed to between itself and the interestedAdministrations.

XII

Special warehousing charges at Aden

As an exceptional measure, the Administration of Aden is authorized tocollect a charge of 40 centimes per sack for all dispatches warehoused atAden, provided the said Administration does not receive any territorial ormaritime transit charges for such dispatches.

XIII

Special charges for transshipment

As an exceptional measure, the Portuguese Administration is authorizedto collect 40 centimes per sack for all mails transshipped at the port of Lisbon.

XIV

Protocol left open to the countries not represented

The Protocol remains open to the countries of the Union which were notrepresented at the Congress, in order to permit them to adhere to the Convention and Agreements concluded there, or merely to one or another ofthem.

XV

Protocol left open to the countries represented for signatures and adhesions

The Protocol remains open to those countries whose representatives havetoday signed only the Convention or only a certain number of the Agree-


ments drawn up by the Congress, for the purpose of permitting them toadhere to the other Agreements signed on this date, or to one or another ofthem.

XVI

Period tor notification ot adhesions

The adhesions contemplated in Articles XIV and XV shall be communicated by the Governments concerned, through diplomatic channels, tothe Government of the French Republic, and by the latter to the other Statesof the Union. The period which is allowed to the said Governments to makesuch notificGl.tion will expire on July 1, 1948.

XVII

Protocol lett open to countries momentarily prevented trom adheringto the Convention and to the Agreements

1. Spain, Morocco (Spanish Zone), and the Whole of the SpanishColonies, momentarily prevented from adhering to the Convention and tothe Agreements, due to a det:ision of the XII Universal Postal Congressadopted in conformity with the Resolution passed by the General Assemblyof the United Nations on December 12, 1946,11 may adhere to these Acts,without submitting to the formalities prescribed in Article 3, as soon as thatResolution shall be repealed or become inoperative.

2. Germany, Japan, and Korea, momentarily prevented from adheringto the Convention and the Agreements, may adhere to these Acts, withoutsubmitting to the formalities prescribed in Article 3, when the responsibleauthorities consider it opportune.

3. The adhesions contemplated in Sections 1 and 2 must be made known,through diplomatic channels, by the interested Governments to the Governments of the French Republic and by the latter to the other States of theUnion.

In testimony whereof, the undersigned plenipotentiaries have drawn upthe present Protocol, which will have the same force and validity as if itsprovisions were included in the text of the Convention itself, and they havesigned it in one copy, which will be filed in the Archives of the Governmentof the French Republic, and a copy of which will be delivered to each party.

Done at Paris, July 5, 1947.

11 For text, see Department of State Bulletin, Dec. 22, 1946, p. 1143.


For Afghanistan:ISLAM BAY KHAN

A. KAvouM

For Albania:KAHRE MAN YLLI

For Germany:

For the Union of South Africa:L. C.BURKE

For the United States of America:JOHN J. GILLEN

For Frank Pace, Jr.:JOHN J. GILLEN

EDWARD J. MAHONEY

FREDERICK E. BATRUS


JOHN J. GILLEN


EDWARD J. MAHONEY

FREDERICK E. BATRUS



D. B. CANALLE

D. B. CANALLE

ROQUE DE ZERBI


W. G. WRIGHT



O. SCHOCKAERT

J. CARhlE

For the Colony of the Belgian Congo:L. Why


Kossov

For Bolivia:A. COSTA DU RELS


CARLOS LUIS TAVEIRA

MOACYR BRIGGS

J UUO SANCHEZ PEREZ

For the People's Republic of Bulgaria:G. GHEORGHIEFF

A. COHENOV

For Canada:W. J. TURNBULL

E. J. UNDERWOOD

L. GERMAIN

For Chile:PEDRO EVZAGUIRRE

For China:T. TAl


ROBERTO ARCINIEGAS

JORGE PEREZ JIMENO

For Korea:

For Costa Rica:

For the Republic of Cuba:S. 1. CLARK

EVELIO C. JUNCOSA

JESUS LAGO LUNAR


J. E. T. ANDERSEN


S. E. PARADAS

For Egypt:AHMED MAMDOUH Mousl BEY


ANOUAR BAKIR

For the Republic of EI Salvador:R. BUSTAMANTE

A. SOLER-SERRA


For Spain:



For Finland:JOHAN HELO

URHO TALVITIE

TAUNO PUOLANNE


For France:LE MOUEL

ALBERT LAMARLE

USCLAT

BERl'iARD

DESMARAIS

DROUET

G. BOURTHOUMIEUX

For Algeria:A. LABROUSSE

H. GRAS



SKINAZI

For the United Kingdom of Great Brit-ain and Northern Ireland:

D. J. LIDBURY

W. H. WEIGHTMAN

R. H. LOCKE

A. L. WILLIAMS

E. P. BELL

A. WOLSTENCROFT


D. J. LIDBURY

W. H. WEIGHTMAN

R. II. LOCKE

A. L. WILLIAMS

E. P. BELL

A. WOLSTENCROFT

For Greece:D. VERNARDOS

TH. BREDIMAS


For the Republic of Haiti:PLACIDE DAVID


A. SOLER-SERRA

For Hungary:MODOS ELEMER


C. V. CUNNINGHAMS. A. SIDDIQI

S. N. DAS GUPTA

N. CHANDRA

For Iran:H. HEDJAZI

1. DARSA

For Iraq:J. HAMI)[

BEHER FAIK

For Ireland:S. S. PUIRSEAL

S. 6. H. EIRAMHOIN

For the Republic of Iceland:MAGNES JOCHUMSSON


ANTONIO PENN ETTA

PAOLO NOVI

For Japan:



For Luxembourg:E. RAUS


L. PERNOT

H U MBERTCLA UDE

For Morocco (Spanish Zone) :

For Mexico:E. VILLASENOR

LAURO RAMIREZ

For Nicaragua:


blGv. LID

HAKON ERIKSEN



ELIGIO OCANA V.



D. B. CANALLE

DOMINGO B. CANALLE

ROQuE DE ZERBI


HOFMAN


HOFMAN


C. C. VAN DILLEWIJN


CARLOS MACKENHENIE

CARLOS MACKENHENIE

ERNESTO CACERES




T. JARON

M. HERWICH


JORGE BRAGA

A. BASTOS GAVIAO

J. C. QUADRIO MORAO



BARRETO



DOMINGOS ANTONIO DA PrEDADE

BARRETO

LUIS CANDIDO TAVEIRA

For Romania:R. RoscA

I. NICOLAU




ALLEN HULTMAN

TURE NYLUND

For the Swiss Confederation:F. J. HEssTUASON

PH. ZUTTER

CHAPPUIS

H. GRAF

For Syria:ADm DAOUDI

For Czechoslovakia:STANISLAV KONECNY

FR. HOFNER

MIROSLAV SOUKUP

DR. FRANT. NORMAN



For Turkey:I. BESEN


N. STASS

For the ~Union of Soviet Socialist Re-publics:

P. SARATOVKIN

N. STASS

N. BOUCHOUEV

D. ERIGIN


For the Vatican City State:EGIDIO VAGNOZZI

A. SELME


F. VELEZ SALAS

For Yemen:


VLADIMIR SENK


DECLARATION MADE AT THE MOMENT OF SIGNING, AS PRESCRIBED BY ARTICLE9 OF THE CONVENTION CONCERNING THE APPLICATION OF THE SAID CON,VENTION TO COLONIES, PROTECTORATES, ETC.

The delegation of the Union of South Africa declares that the acceptanceby it of the present Convention comprises the Mandated Territory of SouthWest Africa.

PARIS, July 5,1947.L.C.BuRKE

ANNEX

AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE


PREAMBLE

In consideration of the obligations placed upon the United Nations byArticle 57 of the Charter of the United Nations,12 the United Nations andthe Universal Postal Union agree as follows:

Article I

The United Nations recognizes the Universal Postal Union (hereinaftercalled the Union) as the specialized agency responsible for taking such action as may be appropriate under its basic instrument for the accomplishment of the purposes set forth therein.

Article II

RECIPROCAL REPRESENTATION

1. Representatives of the United Nations shall be invited to attend allthe Union's congresses, administrative conferences and commissions, and toparticipate, without vote, in the deliberations of these meetings.

2. Representatives of the Union shall be invited to attend meetings ofthe Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (hereinafter calledthe Council), of its commissions and committees, and to participate, withoutvote, in the deliberations thereof with respect to items on the agenda in whichthe Union may be concerned.

3. Representatives of the Union shall be invited to attend the meetingsof the General Assembly during which questions within the competence ofthe Union are under discussion, for purposes of consultation, and to participate, without vote, in the deliberations of the main committees of the General Assembly with respect to items concerning the Union.

'" TS 993, ante, vol. 3, p. 1167.


4. Written statements presented by the Union shall be distributed by theSecretariat of the United Nations to the Members of the General Assembly,the Council and its commissions, and the Trusteeship Council, as appropriate. Similarly, written statements presented by the United Nations shall bedistributed by the Union to its members.

Article III

PROPOSAL OF AGENDA ITEMS

Subject to such preliminary consultation as may be necessary, the Unionshall include in the agenda of its congresses, administrative conferences orcommissions, or, as the case may be, shall submit to its members in accordance with the provisions of the Universal Postal Convention, items proposedto it by the United Nations. Similarly, the Council, its commissions andcommittees, and the Trusteeship Council shall include in their agenda itemsproposed by the Union.

Article IV

RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE UNITED NATIONS

1. The Union agrees to arrange for the submission as soon as possible, forappropriate action, to its congresses or its administrative conferences or commissions, or to its members, in conformity with the provisions of the Universal Postal Convention, of all formal recommendations which the UnitedNations may make to it. Such recommendations will be addressed to theUnion and not directly to its members.

2. The Union agrees to enter into consultation with the United Nations,upon request, with respect to such recommendations, and in due course toreport to the United Nations on the action taken by the Union or by its members to give effect to such recommendations, or on the other results of theirconsideration.

3. The Union will co-operate in whatever further measures may be necessary to make co-ordination of the activities of specialized agencies and thoseof the United Nations fully effective. In particular, it will co-operate withany body which the Council may establish for the purpose of facilitatingsuch co-ordination and will furnish such information as may be required forthe carrying out of this purpose.

Article V

EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTS

1. Subject to such arrangements as may be necessary for the safeguardingof confidential material, the fullest and promptest exchange of informationand documents shall be made between the United Nations and the Union.


2. Without prejudice to the generality of the provisions of the precedingparagraph:

(a) The Union shall submit to the United Nations an annual report onits activities;

(b) The Union shall comply to the fullest extent practicable with anyrequest which the United Nations may make for the furnishing of specialreports, studies or information, subject to the conditions set forth in articleXI;

(c) The Union shall furnish written advice on questions within its competence as may be requested by the Trusteeship Council;

(d) The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall, upon request,consult with the Director of the International Bureau of the Union regardingthe provision to the Union of such information as may be of special interestto it.

Article VI

ASSISTANCE TO THE UNITED NATIONS

The Union agrees to co-operate with and to give assistance to the UnitedNations, its principal and subsidiary organs, so far as is consistent with theprovisions of the Universal Postal Convention.

As regards the Members of the United Nations, the Union agrees that inaccordance with Article 103 of the Charter no provision in the UniversalPostal Convention or related agreements shall be construed as preventingor limiting any State in complying with its obligations to the United Nations.

Article VII

PERSONNEL ARRANGEMENTS

The United Nations and the Union agree to co-operate as necessary toensure as much uniformity as possible in the conditions of employment ofpersonnel, and to avoid competition in the recruitment of personnel.

Article VIII

STATISTICAL SERVICES

1. The United Nations and the Union agree to co-operate with a view tosecuring the greatest possible usefulness and utilization of statistical information and data.

2. The Union recognizes the United Nations as the central agency for thecollection, analysis, publication, standardization and improvement of statistics serving the general purposes of international organizations.

3. The United Nations recognizes the Union a~ the appropriate agency


for the collection, analysis, publication, standardization and improvementof statistics within its special sphere, without prejudice to the right of theUnited Nations to concern itself with such statistics so far as it may be essential for its own purposes or for the improvement of statistics throughoutthe world.

Article IX

ADMINISTRATIVE AND TECHNICAL SERVICES

1. The United Nations and the Union recognize the desirability, in theinterests of the most efficient use of personnel and resources, of avoidingthe establishment of competitive or overlapping services.

2. Arrangements shall be made between the United Nations and theUnion with regard to the registration and deposit of official documents.

Article X

BUDGETARY ARRANGEMENTS

The annual budget of the Union shall be transmitted to the UnitedNations, and the General Assembly may make recommendations thereonto the Congress of the Union.

Article XI

FINANCING OF SPECIAL SERVICES

In the event of the Union being faced with the necessity of incurring substantial extra expense as a result of any request which the United Nationsmay make for special reports, studies or information in accordance witharticle V or with any other provisions of this agreement, consultation shalltake place with a view to determining the most equitable manner in whichsuch expense shall be borne.

Article XII

INTER-AGENCY AGREEMENTS

The Union will inform the Council of the nature and scope of any agreement between the Union and any specialized agency or other inter-governmental organization, and further agrees to inform the Council of the preparation of any such agreements.


Article XIII

LIAISON

529

1. The United Nations and the Union agree to the foregoing provisionsin the belief that they will contribute to the maintenance of effective liaisonbetween the two organizations. They affirm their intention of taking in agreement whatever measures may be necessary to this end.

2. The liaison arrangements provided for in this agreement shall apply,as far as is appropriate, to the relations between the Union and the UnitedNations, including its branch and regional offices.

Article XIV

IMPLEMENTATIDN OF THE AGREEMENT

The Secretary-General of the United Nations and the President of theExecutive and Liaison Commission of the Union may enter into suchsupplementary arrangements for the implementation of this agreement asmay be found desirable in the light of operating experience of the twoorganizations.

Article XV

ENTRY INTO FORCE

This agreement is annexed to the Universal Postal Convention concludedin Paris in 1947. It will come into force after approval by the GeneralAssembly of the United Nations, and, at the earliest, at the same time as thisConvention.

Article XVI

REVISION

On six months' notice given on either part, this agreement shall be subjectto revision by agreement between the United Nations and the Union.

Paris, 4 July 1947.JAN PAPANEK

Acting Chairman of the Committee of theEconomic and Social Council on Negotiations

with Specialized Agencies

J. J. LE MOUEL

Chairman of the XIIth Congress of the Universal Postal Union

[For text of regulations and appendix (forms) for execution of the Con

vention, see 62 Stat. 3347 orTIAS 1850, p.199.]


AIRMAIL PROVISIONS

TABLE OF THE ARTICLESOF THE

PROVISIONS CONCERNING THE TRANSPORTATION01' REGULAR MAILS BY AIR

I. AIR-MAIL PROVISIONS OF THECONVENTION

CHAPTER I

General provisions

Art.1. Articles of correspondence admitted to

air transportation.2. Freedom of transit.3. Dispatch of air-mail correspondence.4. Air transportation over part of the

route only.5. Rates and general conditions for ac

ceptance of air-mail correspondence.

6. Unprepaid or insufficiently prepaidair-mail correspondence.

7. Delivery of air-mail correspondence.8. Redirection and return of air-mail

correspondence.

CHAPTER II

Registered or insured articles

Art.9. Registered articles.

10. Return receipt.11. Responsibility.12. Insured articles.

CHAPTER III

Allocation of air-transportation surcharges.Transportation charges

Art.13. Allocation of surcharges.14. Air-transportation charges for closed

mails.15. Transportation charges for air-mail

correspondence in open mail.

CHAPTER IV

International Bureau

Art.16. Communications to be addressed to

the International Bureau and to theAdministrations.

CHAPTER V

Accounting. Settlement of accounts

Art.17. Accounting statistics.18. Preparation of ordinary or air-mail

dispatches during the statistical periods for air-mail transportationcharges.

19. Fixing the weight of air-mail dispatches and correspondence.

20. List of closed air mails.21. Account of air-transportation charges

settled on the basis of statistics.22. Air-transportation account.23. General account.

CHAPTER VI

Miscellaneous provisions

Art.24. Designation of air-mail corrcspond

ence.25. Designation of air-mail dispatches.26. Method of dispatching air-mail cor

rcspondence.27. Waybills and delivery lists of dis

patches.28. Transfer of air-mail dispatches.29. Annotations to be made on the letter

bills, insured bills and labels of air. mail dispatches.

30. Customs clearance of dutiable correspondence.

31. Return of empty air-mail sacks.32. Application of the provisions of the

Convention and Agreements.33. Effective date and duration of the

Provisions adopted.

2. FINAL PROTOCOL OF THE AIR-MAILPROVISIONS OF THE CONVENTION

I. Air-transportation charges for closedmails.

II. Option of reducing the weight unitfor air-mail correspondence.

III. Exceptional surcharges.


PROVISIONS CONCERNING THE TRANSPORTATION OF REGULAR MAILS BY AIR

CHAPTER I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 1

Articles of correspondence admitted to air transportation

1. There are admitted to air transportation, over all or part of the route,all the articles designated in Article 35 of the Convention, as well as moneyorders, collection orders, and subscriptions by mail. Such articles which, inthat case, are known as air-mail correspondence, are divided into articles forwhich a special air-transportation surcharge is collected (surcharged articles) ,and those for which such a charge is not due (unsurcharge!d articles) .

2. The articles mentioned in Article 35 of the Convention may be submitted to the formality of registration and be sent C. O. D.

3. Insured letters and boxes may also be transported by air in relationsbetween countries which agree to exchange articles of that kind by that route.

4. Surcharged air-mail articles shall be marked very clearly on the frontwith the words "Par Avion" or a similar indication in the language of thecountry of origin.

ARTICLE 2

Freedom of transit

The freedom of transit provided for in Article 28 of the Convention isguaranteed to air-mail correspondence throughout the territory of the Union,whether or not the intermediate Administrations take part in the forwarding of the correspondence.

ARTICLE 3

Forwarding of air-mail correspondence

1. Administrations which make use of communications by air for thetransportation of their own surcharged air-mail correspondence are boundto forward by those same routes the surcharged air-mail correspondence received by them from other Administrations. The same applies to unsurcharged air-mail correspondence, provided the available capacity of theplanes permit~ it.

2. Administrations having no air service forward air-mail correspondenceby the most rapid means utilized by the mails. The same applies if, for anyreason, forwarding by such other means offers advantages over an existingair route.

3. If occasion arises, account is taken of the indications of routing placedon surcharged air-mail articles by the senders, provided the routing asked


for is normally utilized for the transportation of mails on the stretch concerned,and that dispatch by such route does not result in considerable delay in thearrival of the articles at destination.

4. Closed air-mail dispatches shall be sent by the route requested by theAdministration of the country of origin, provided that such route is utilizedby the Administration of the transit country for the transmission of its owndispatches.

5. In order to establish the most suitable route, the office of origin may sendto the office of destination of the dispatch a trial bulletin in accordance withForm AV 1 hereto appended; 13 the bulletin must be included in the dispatchand attached to the letter bill. The trial bulletin, duly filled out, shall be returned to the office of origin by the first available air mail.

6. When, as the result of an accident occurring en route, a plane can notcontinue its trip and deliver the mail at the stops scheduled, the personnel onboard shall deliver the dispatches to the post office nearest to the place of theaccident or the one best qualified to reforward the mails. If the personnel isprevented from doing this, the post office concerned, after being informedof the accident, shall make every possible effort without delay to take deliveryof the mail. The dispatches must be forwarded to the offices of destinationby the most rapid means after determining the condition of the correspondence and reconditioning it if damaged.

7. The circumstances of the accident and the facts determined shall bereported by bulletin of verification to the offices of destination of the dispatches involved; a copy of the bulletin shall be sent to the office of originof the dispatches. In addition, the Administration of the country to whichthe air line belongs shall advise the Administrations concerned by telegramof all the particulars of the disposal of the mail.

ARTICLE 4

Air transportation over part of the route only

1. Unless practical difficulties would result therefrom, the sender mayrequest that his surcharged correspondence be dispatched by air over only apart of the route.

2. When he exercises this option, the sender shall indicate on his surchargedcorrespondence in the language of the country of origin and in French: "Paravion de a " (by air mail from to ).

At the end of the air transmission, the "Par Avion" labels mentioned inArticle 24 hereafter, as well as the special notations, shall be crossed out bymeans of two heavy transverse lines.

13 For forms (in French) appended to airmail provisions, see 62 Stat. 3292, or p. 137 ofTIAS 1850.


ARTICLE 5

Rates and general conditions for acceptance of air-mail correspondence

1. Surcharged air-mail articles are liable, in addition to the regular postage rates, to a special surcharge for air transportation, the amount of whichshall be fixed by the Administration of the country of origin. Subject to theprovisions of Section 7, the aerial surcharge is also due for air-mail articleswhich enjoy the franking privilege by virtue of Article 52, Sections 2 to 4of the Convention.

2. In relations considered as services of class A (Article 14, Section 9,hereafter), letters and post cards, with or without registration or C.O.D.charges, as well as money orders and collection orders, are transported byair without collection of air surcharges if the route to be traversed doesnot exceed 2,000 kilometers and if their delivery will be advantageously accelerated by air dispatch. The Administrations shall advise one another ofthe countries for which the dispatches mentioned are sent by air.

3. In relations between countries of Europe, in appropriate cases, thesurcharge amounts to 7~ centimes per 20 grams at most regardless of thedistance.

4. The maximum amounts of air-transportation surcharges due for eachunit of weight of 20 grams and for each air distance of 1,000 kilometers areshown below:

DistancesLetters, post cards,money orders andcollection orders

2

Other articles of correspondence not mentioned in Column 2

3

CLASS A AIR-MAIL SERVICE

Up to 2,000 kilometers 1 '17}~ centimesOver 2,000 kilometers..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 7}~ centimes 7}~ centimes

CLASS B AIR-MAIL SERVICE

All distances 115 centimes \15 centimes

5. The surcharges fixed according to Section 4 shall be uniform for allthe territory of a country of destination, regardless of the route used.

6. For articles other than letters, post cards, money orders and collectionorders, the surcharges collected by application of Sections 2 to 5 may bereduced to a minimum of one-fifth.

7. Administrations have the option of not collecting any surcharge forair transportation, on condition that they inform the country of destinationand that a previous agreement has been made with the transit countries.


8. The surcharges shall be prepaid at the time of mailing.9. The surcharge for a reply post card is collected separately for each half

at the place of mailing of each of those halves.10. Air-mail correspondence is prepaid under the conditions fixed by

Articles 50 and 51 of the Convention. However, regardless of the nature ofsuch correspondence, the prepayment may be represented by a handwrittennotation, in figures, of the sum collected, expressed in money of the countryof origin, in the following form, for example: uTaxe per~ue (postage col-lected) : Dollars cents".

That notation may appear either in a special hand-stamp impression oron a special adhesive stamp or label, or, even, it may be simply indicatedon the address side of the article by any process whatever. In all cases, thenotation shall be supported by the date stamp of the office of origin.

ARTICLE 6

Unprepaid or insufficiently prepaid air-mail correspondence

1. In case of total lack of prepayment, air-mail correspondence is treatedin accordance with the provisions of Articles 37 and 38 of the Convention.Articles whose prepayment at the time of mailing is not obligatory are sent bythe ordinary means.

2. In case of insufficient prepayment, surcharged air-mail correspondenceis sent by air when the postage paid represents at least the amount of the airmail surcharge. The Administrations of origin have the option of sendingsuch correspondence by air when the postage paid represents at least 25percent of the amount of the air surcharge.

3. The provisions of Article 38 of the Convention are applicable in regardto the collection of charges not paid at the time of mailing.

4. When surcharged articles mentioned in Section 2 are sent by ordinarymeans, the office of mailing or the exchange office shall cross out by meansof two heavy transverse lines the Par Avion label and all notations relativeto the air transportation, and indicate briefly the reason for transmission bythe ordinary means.

ARTICLE 7

Delivery of air-mail correspondence

1. Air-mail correspondence is delivered as rapidly as possible, and shall atleast be included in the first delivery following its arrival at the office ofdestination.

2. Senders have the option of requesting delivery at the addressee's residence by special carrier immediately after arrival, by paying the specialdelivery fee provided for by Article 47 of the Convention. That option existsonly in relations between countries which have organized the special-deliveryservice in their reciprocal relations.


3. When the regulations of the country of destination permit, addresseesmay ask the office charged with the delivery to have air-mail correspondenceaddressed to them delivered to them upon arrival. In that case, the Administrations of destination are authorized to collect, at the time of delivery, aspecial fee which may not be higher than the special-delivery fee provided forby Article 47 of the Convention.

4. For additional compensation, Administrations may, after agreement,undertake delivery at the residence of the addressee by special means; forexample, by the use of pneumatic tubes.

ARTICLE 8

Redirection and return of air-mail correspondence

1. Air-mail correspondence addressed to persons who have changed theirresidence is forwarded to the new destination by means ordinarily employed,unless the addressee has expressly requested redirection by air mail and haspaid the forwarding office the aerial surcharge for the new route in advance.Undeliverable correspondence is returned to origin by means ordinarilyemployed.. 2. If redirection or return of surcharged correspondence is effected by theordinary means, the Par avion label and all notations relative to transmissionby the air route shall be crossed out by means of two heavy transverse lines.

CHAPTER II

REGISTERED OR INSURED ARTICLES

ARTICLE 9

Registered Articles

Registered articles for which a special surcharge for air conveyance hasbeen collected are subject to the postage rates and general conditions foracceptance provided for by the Convention. They are also liable to thesame air surcharges as ordinary articles.

ARTICLE 10

Return receipt

Each Administration is authorized to consider the weight of the returnreceipt form in computing the air surcharge.

ARTICLE 11

Responsibility

Administrations assume, in regard to registered articles sent by the airroute, the same responsibility as for other registered articles.

219-918--70----35


ARTICLE 12

Insured articles

1. Administrations which accept insured articles for transportation byair mail are authorized to collect, on account of such articles, a special insurance fee, the amount of which they are to fix. The sum of the ordinaryinsurance fee and the special fee shall not exceed double the limit fixed byArticle 3, letter (c), of the Agreement concerning insured letters and boxes.

2. As for insured articles passing in transit in closed mails through theterritory of countries not adhering to the aforesaid Agreement, or passingin transit through air services for which the countries concerned do not acceptresponsibility for insured articles, the responsibility of those countries islimited to that provided for registered articles.

CHAPTER III

ALLOCATION OF AIR SURCHARGES. TRANSPORTATION CHARGES

ARTICLE 13

Allocation of surcharges

Each Administration retains the whole of the air surcharges which it hascollected.

ARTICLE 14

Air-transportation charges for closed mails

1. The provisions of Article 67 of the Convention concerning transitcharges apply to air-mail correspondence only for its transmission, if any, byland or sea.

2. The air-transportation charges for air-mail articles sent in closed dispatches are collectible from the Administration of the country of origin.

3. Every Administration which assures the transportation of air-mail correspondence by the air route, as intermediate Administration, is entitled,on that account, to payment of transportation charges. Such charges arecomputed in accordance with the actual length of the routes over which thedispatch or the articles have been carried. If the plane stops at several airports,the payment is due as far as the airport where the unloading takes place.

4. Transportation charges must also be paid for transportation within thecountry of destination. The payments must be uniform for all the routestraversed in the domestic service; they are computed in accordance with the

. average length of all the routes traversed in the domestic service and theirimportance for the international service.

5. The transportation charges relative to one and the same air route areuniform for all Administrations using that service without participating inthe operating costs.


6. With the exceptions provided for in Sections 7 and 8 following, the airtransportation charges are payable to the Postal Administration of the countryin which the airport where the dispatches have been taken in charge by theair service is located.

7. An Administration which delivers to an air-transport enterprise mailsmtended for conveyance by several separate air services in succession may, if ithas so agreed with the intermediate Administrations, settle directly with thatenterprise for the transportation charges for the whole route. The intermediateAdministrations, for their part, have the right to request the application pureand simple of the provisions of Section 6.

8. By exception to the provisions of Sections 6 and 7, every Administrationmaintaining an air service is entitled to collect directly from each Administration utilizing such service the transportation charges for the whole route.

9. The basic rates to be applied in the settlement of accounts betweenAdministrations for air transportation are fixed per gross kilogram and perkilometer as follows:

(a) European air services and other services whose operating costs aresimilar (class A) : 3 thousandths of a franc at most;

(b) Services whose maintenance requires higher costs (class B): 6 thousandths of a franc at most.

10. The transportation rates specified in Section 9 are applied proportionally to fractions of a kilogram. The dispatches or articles conveyed by thedomestic service of the countries of destination are subject to the rate applicable to class A services, unless the corresponding countries agree not tocollect any payment for such transportation.

11. The transportation charges mentioned are also payable for articleswhich are exempt from transit charges. Misdirected or missent dispatches orarticles are considered, for purposes of payment of transportation charges,as having followed their normal route. However, for the conveyance of dispatches to be forwarded by services of class B, the intermediate Administration may require reimbursement of the transportation charges. The accounting for the air transportation charges then takes place according to Article 21,Sections 1 and 3 of the Provisions.

12. Administrations of countries flown over have no right to any compensation for dispatches transported by air over their territory.

ARTICLE 15

Transportation charges for air-mail correspondence zn open mail

1. The transportation charges for air-mail correspondence exchanged inopen mail between two Administrations shall be calculated in accordancewith the provisions of Article 14, Sections 1 to 5 and 9 to 11. However, whenthe territory of the country of destination of such correspondence is served


by an air route making several stops on that territory, the transportationcharges are calculated on the basis of an average rate proportionate to thetonnage of mail unloaded at each stop.

2. In order to determine the transportation charges, the net weight ofsuch articles is increased by 10 percent.

3. An Administration which delivers air-mail correspondence in transitin open mail to another Administration shall pay it the entire amount of thetransportation charges calculated for all the subsequent air distance.

CHAPTER IV

INTERNATIONAL BUREAU

ARTICLE 16

Communications to be addressed to the International Bureauand to the Administrations

1. The Administrations shall communicate to the International Bureau,on the forms sent to them by the latter, the necessary information concerningthe operation of the air-mail service. This information includes particularly:

(a) The listing of domestic and international lines which are at thedisposal of other Administrations for the conveyance of air-mail articles inclosed or open mails (number and route, length in kilometers, the averagedistance based on Article 14, Section 4 for the domestic lines, class A or Bservices, company, etc.) ;

(b) Transportation charges per kilogram due from the Administrationsmaking use of such lines;

(c) Air surcharges collected by each Administration for the various classesof air-mail correspondence and for the various countries;

(d) The decisions of each Administration relative to the option whether. or not certain of the Air Mail Provisions should be applied.

2. The International Bureau publishes once a year, in June, a generallist of information concerning the air mail services from the facts thus collected,which is distributed among the Administrations. Any modifications to bemade in the information furnished or in the general list shall be communicated to the International Bureau by air mail without delay.

3. The International Bureau is also charged with the preparation anddistribution of maps showing the lines of domestic and international air-mailcommunications of all countries, as well as a list showing the schedules of eachcountry's domestic and international air lines and the deadline by whichthe planes should arrive at the airports to permit mail to be delivered thatday.

4. Any modifications in the publications mentioned in Sections 2 and 3are communicated to the Administrations by means of Supplements.


5. Regardless of the foregoirig, the Administrations may agree to adviseeach other directly, in advance of each scheduled period, as to the facts andschedules concerning the air lines which particularly interest them, as provisional information.

6. Administrations which utilize air-mail communications for the transportation of their own ordinary mails shall so inform the other Administrations of the Union through the intermediary of the International Bureau,advising them at the same time of the effective date when use of such communications is inaugurated, the connections thus made available, as well asall changes made therein.

CHAPTER V

ACCOUNTING. SETTLEMENT OF ACCOUNTS

ARTICLE 17

Accounting statistics

1. Unless exception is made due to circumstances, the general accountingfor air-transportation charges is effected in accordance with statistical tablesprepared during the seven days following the 14th of May and the 14th ofNovember of each year. The results of the May statistics form the basis for thepayments due for the months from May to October; those of November areused for the months from November to April.

2. Statistics concerning services which do not operate during the regularstatistical periods are prepared after agreement between the Administrationsconcerned.

3. As concerns services of class B, the Administration charged with thetransportation by air has the option of requesting that the settlement ofaccounts be made monthly or quarterly, on the basis of the gross weight ofthe dispatches, or the net weight increased by 10 percent of the articles inopen mail, actually transported during the period in question. In such a case,the provisions of Articles 19,21 and 22 hereafter are applied to the ascertainment of weight and preparation of accounts, with the understanding that thestatements A V 3 and A V 4 are to be made up monthly for all air transportation effected, taking account of the date of dispatch indicated by the office oforigin.

ARTICLE 18

Preparation of ordinary or air-mail dispatches during the statistical periodsfor air-mail transp~rtation charges

The provisions of Article 153 of the Regulations of Execution of the Convention do not apply to the semiannual statistics for the fixing of air-transportation charges. However, during such statistical periods, the labels or addresses


of dispatches containing air-mail· correspondence shall bear the conspicuousnotation Statistique-avion (air-mail statistics).

ARTICLE 19

Fixing the weight of air-mail dispatches and correspondence

1. During the statistical periods, the date of dispatch, the gross weight andthe number of the mail are indicated on the label or outside address of thedispatch. The inclusion of air-mail dispatches in another dispatch of the samekind is prohibited.

2. If the letters and post cards, as well as the other articles, are combinedin a dispatch carried by routes for which a reduced transportation charge isapplied to A. O. [autres objets], the weight of each of the two classes must beshown in addition to the total weight on the label or outer address of thedispatch. In such case, the weight of the outer wrapping (sack or package)is added to the weight of the other articles. If a collector sack is used, itsweight is ignored.

3. In the event that open-mail correspondence intended to be redispatchedby the air route is included in an ordinary or air-mail dispatch, such correspondence, made up into a special bundle labeled P(J)r avion (by air mail), isaccompanied by bills conforming to Form A V 2 hereto appended, one for theordinary articles and another for the registered articles. The weight of thecorrespondence in transit in open mail is indicated separately for each countryof destination or for groups of countries for which the transportation chargesare uniform. In relations between countries which have agreed not to collectany payment for redispatch by their domestic air service, the weight of thearticles in open mail for the country of destination itself is not indicated. Theletter bill is marked ((Bordereau A V 2". Transit countries have the option ofrequesting the use of special bills A V 2 showing the most important countriesand air lines in a fixed order. When the accounts for the air transport chargesare not prepared on the basis of the statistical statements (services of class B,exceptional circumstances), the bills A V 2 shall be numbered specially in acontinuous annual series.

4. The entries are verified by the exchange office of destination. If thatoffice finds that the actual weight of the dispatches differs by more than 100grams, and that of the open mail articles by more than 20 grams, from theweight announced, it corrects the label or the bill A V 2 and immediately reports the error to the dispatching exchange office by bulletin of verification.When it is a question of closed mails, a copy of the bulletin is addressed to eachintermediate Administration. If the differences in weight detected remainwithin the limits above mentioned, the entries of the dispatching office areconsidered valid.

5. The absence of bill A V 2 does not authorize the transit country toredispatch the air-mail articles by surface means. Retransmission by air must


be assured. If necessary, the bill A V 2 is prepared and the irregularity isreported by a bulletin C 14 drawn against the office of origin.

ARTICLE 20

List of closed air mails

As soon as possible, and in any case within a period of one month aftereach statistical period, the Administrations which have dispatched· closed airmails send a list of such dispatches, on an appropriate Form C 18, to thedifferent Administrations whose air services they have used, including that ofdestination, if occasion arises.

ARTICLE 21

Account of air-transportation charges settled on the basis of statistics

1. During the statistical periods, the intermediate Administrations takenote, on a form conforming to Form A V 3 hereto appended, of the weightsindicated on the labels or outside addresses of the air-mail dispatches whichthey have forwarded by the air route, either within the limits of their domesticnetwork or beyond the frontiers of their countries. As concerns air-mail articles in open mail which reach them from other Administrations and whichthey forward by air, a statement conforming to Form A V 4 hereto appendedis prepared in accordance with the indications appearing on the bills A V 2.Air-mail articles contained in ordinary dispatches are subjected to the sameprocedure. Separate statements are prepared for each dispatching exchangeoffice of air dispatches or air-mail articles in open mail.

2. The Administrations of destination which assure the forwarding of airdispatches or of air-mail articles by air in their domestic services proceed inthe same manner.

3. As soon as possible, and at the latest three weeks after the close of statistical operations, the statements A V 3 and A V 4 are sent in duplicate tothe dispatching exchange offices for acceptance. The offices, after acceptingthe statements, send them in turn to their central Administration, which forwards a copy to the central Administration of the creditor country.

4. If the creditor Administration has not received any statement of differences within an interval of two months, counting from the date of transmittal,the statements are considered as a~tomatically accepted. In relations betweendistant countries, the period is extended to three months.

ARTICLE 22

Air-transportation account

1. The gross weights of the dispatches, and the net weights increased by 10per cent of the articles in open mail, shown in the statements A V 3 orA V 4,are multiplied by a figure determined by the frequency of the summer and


winter services; the products thus obtained serve as the basis for individualaccounts prepared on a form in accordance with Form A V 5 hereto appendedand showing, in francs, the transportation charges due to each Administrationfor the current six-month period.

2. The duty of preparing the accounts is incumbent upon the creditorAdministration, which transmits them to the debtor Administration.

3. The individual accounts are made up in duplicate and transmitted assoon as possible to the debtor Administration. If the creditor Administrationhas not received any statement of differences within an interval of two months,counting from the date of transmittal, such accounts are considered as automatically accepted. In relations between distant countries, this period is extended to three months.

ARTICLE 23

General account

In the absence of contrary agreement between the Administrations concerned, the general account of air-transportation charges is prepared twice ayear by the International Bureau, in accordance with the rules fixed for thetransit-charge account.

CHAPTER VI

MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 24

Designation of air-mail correspondence

Surcharged air-mail correspondence is provided, at the time of mailing,with a special blue label or imprint bearing the words Par avion (by air mail) ,with an optional translation into the language of the country of origin.

ARTICLE 25

Designation of air-mail dispatches

1. When the air-mail articles give rise to the formation of separate dispatches, the latter shall be made up with blue paper or by means of sackseither entirely blue or bearing wide blue stripes.

2. The Administrations concerned agree as to the special notation to beplaced on the sack labels of the closed mails containing unsurcharged air-mailarticles.

ARTICLE 26

Method of dispatching air-mail correspondence

1. The provisions of Articles 145, Section 2, letter (a), and 147 of theRegulations of Execution of the Convention are applied, by analogy, to air-


mail correspondence included in ordinary dispatches. The labels of the bundles shall bear the notation Par Avion (by air mail).

2. In case of inclusion of registered air-mail articles in ordinary dispatches,the note Par avion shall be entered in the place prescribed by Section 3 ofthe aforesaid Article 147 for the note Expres (special delivery).

3. If it is a question of insured air-mail articles included in ordinary dispatches, the note Par avion is entered in the Observations column of theinsured bills, opposite the entry of each of them.

4. Air-mail articles sent in transit in open mail in an air-mail or ordinarydispatch, which are to be forwarded by the air route by the country of destination of the dispatch, are tied in a special bundle labeled Par avion.

5. The transit country may request the formation of separate bundles bycountries of destination. In that case, each bundle is provided with a labelbearing the note: Par avion pour (by air mail for ).

ARTICLE 27

Waybills and delivery lists of dispatches

1. Dispatches to be delivered to the airport shall be accompanied by ayellow waybill and a white delivery list, in accordance with Forms A V 6and A V 7 hereto appended.

2. One copy of the waybill signed by the representative of the air companyis kept by the dispatching office; a second copy, delivered- to the pilot, accompanies the dispatches.

3. A delivery list, prepared for each stop on the route, is placed in a folderwith compartments, the first compartment being reserved for the postal waybill and the others for the delivery lists, one for each stop in their propersequence.

ARTICLE 28

Transfer of air-mail dispatches

Barring contrary agreement between the Administrations concerned, thetransfer en route, in one and the same airport, of mails which employ severalseparate air services in succession, is effected through the intermediary ofthe Administration of the country where the transshipment takes place. Therule does not apply when the transfer is made between aircraft covering thesuccessive sections of one and the same service.

ARTICLE 29

Notations to be made on the letter bills, insured bills, and labelsof air mail dispatches

The letter bills and insured bills accompanying air-mail dispatches shallbe provided, in their headings, with the Par avion label or the imprint men-

219-918--70----36


tioned in Article 24. The same label or imprint is affixed to the labels oraddresses of such dispatches. The number of the dispatches shall be shownon the labels or addresses of such dispatches.

ARTICLE 30

Customs clearance of dutiable correspondence

The Administrations take steps to accelerate, as far as possible, the customsclearance of dutiable air-mail correspondence.

ARTICLE 31

Return of empty air-mail sacks

1. 'Air-mail sacks shall be returned empty to the.Admi~istration of origin'by surface means. When there are as many as ten at least, special dispatchesthereof shall be prepared between air-mail exchange offices designated forthat purpose; such dispatches shall be labeled "Sacs vides" (Empty sacks)and numbered according t6 an annual series. The letter.bill shows the numberof sacks returned to the country of origin.

2. The provisions of Sections 5 and 6 of Article 151 of the· Regulationsof the Convention shall apply to empty air-mail sacks: ' -

ARTICLE 32

Application of the provisions of the Convention and Agreements

The'provisions of the Con~ention and Agreements,. as well as of theirRegulati.ons, with the exception of the Parcel Post Agreement and its Regulations, are applicable as'regards everytliing which is not expressly regulatedby the foregoing Articles.

ARTICLE 33

Effective. date and duration, of the Provisions adopted

1. The present Provisions will be put into force from the effective date ofthe Convention:. '

2. They will have the same duration as the Convention, unless they arerenewed~y nlUtualagreemen! between the parties concerned.



A.KAYOUM·

For the Union of South Africa:.L. C. BURKE

For Albania:'KAHREMAN YLLI

For Gennany:

For the United States of America:JOHN]' GILLEN


EDWARD]. MAHONEY

FREDERICK E. BATRUS


For all the possessions of the 'UnitedStates of America:

JOHN J. GILLEN


EDWARDJ. MAHONEY

FREDERICK E. BATRUS



D. B. CANALLE

D. B. CANALLE

ROQUE DE ZERBI


W.G. WRIGHT

For Austria:DR. RUDOLPH KU~N


O. SCHOCKAERT

J. CAREME



Kossov

For Bolivia:A. COSTA DU RELS


CARLOS LUIS TAVElRA

MOACYR BRIGGS

JULIO SANCHEZ PEREZ


A.COHENOV


E. J. UNDERWOOD

L. GERMAIN

For Chile:PEDRO EYZAGUIRRE

For China:T.TAI


ROBERTO ARCINIEGAS

JORGE PEREZ JIMENO

For Korea:

For Costa Rica:

For the Republic of Cuba: .S. I. CLARK

EVELIO C. JUNCOSA

JESUS LAGO LUNAll.

For Denmark:ARNE KROG .

J. E. T. ANDERSEN.

For the Dominican Repuolic:DR. M. PASTORIZA

. S. E. PARADAS .

For Egypt:AHMED MAMDOUH MousI BEY


ANOUAll. BAKIR


A. SOLER-SERRA

For Ecuador:A. PAll.RA V.

For Spain:

For all the Spanish Colo~i'es:



URHO TALVITIE

TAUNO PUOLANNE

For France:LE MOUEL

ALBERT LAMARLE

USCLAT

BERNARD

DESMARAIS

DROUET

G. BOURTHOUMIEUX

For Algeria:A. LABll.OUSSE

H. GRAS



SKINAZI



D. J. LIDBURY

W. H. WEIGHTMAN

R. H. LOCKE

A. L. WILLIAMS

E. P. BELL

A. WOLSTENCROFT


D. J. LIDBURY

W. H. WEIGHTMAN

R. H. LOCKE

A. L. WILLIAMS

E. P. BELL

A. WOLSTENCROFT


TH. BREDIMAS




A. SOLER-SERRA

For Hungary:MODOS ELEM:b


C. V. CUNNINGHAM

S. A. SIDDIQI

S. N. DAS GUPTA

N. CHANDRA

For Iran:H. HEDJAZI

I. DARSA

For Iraq:J. HAMDI

BEHER FAIK

For Ireland:S. S. PUIRSEAL

S. 6. H. EIRAMHOIN



ANTONIO PENNETTA

PAOLO NOVI

For Japan:





L. PERNOT

HUMBERTCLAUDE

For Morocco (Spanish Zone):


LAURO RAMIREZ

For Nicaragua:


INGv. LID

HAKON ERIKSEN



ELIGIO OCANA V.


D. B. CANALLE

DOMINGO B. CANALLE

ROQUE DE ZERBI


HOFMAN


HOFMAN


C. C. VAN DILLEWIJN


CARLOS MACKENHENIE

CARLOS MACKENHENlE

ERNESTO CACERES





T. JAR6N

M. HERWICH


JORGE BRAGAA. RASTOS GAVIAO

J. C. QUADRIO MORAO



BARRETO




BARRETO

L ufs CANDIDO T AVEIRA

For Romania:R. RoscA

I. NICOLAU




ALLEN HULTMAN

TURE NYLUND

For the Swiss Confederation:F. J. HESS

TUASON

PH. ZUTTER

CHAPPUIS

H. GRAF

For Syria:ADm DAOUD!


FR. HOFNER

MIROSLAV SOUKUP

Dr. FRANT. NORMAN



For Turkey:I. BESEN


N. STASS


P. SARATOVKIN

N. STASS

N. BoucHouEv

D. ERIGIN


For the Vatican City State:EGIDIO V AGNOZZI

A. SELME


F. VELEZ SALAS

For Yemen:


VLADIMIR SENK

FINAL PROTOCOL OF THE PROVISIONS CONCERNING THE TRANSPORTATION

OF REGULAR MAILS BY AIR

I

Air-transportation charges for closed mails

Exceptionally, the Administrations have the option of applying the ratesof Class B for each segment of their domestic air-mail network, provided thatthe Administrations concerned are informed thereof.


II

Option of reducing the weight unit for air-mail correspondence

Administrations whose system of weights permits it have the option ofadopting units of weight lower than that of 20 grams provided for in Article5. In that case, the surcharge is fixed in accordance with the unit of weightadopted.

III

Exceptional surcharges

1. Exceptionally, the Administrations have the option of applying to theair correspondence mentioned in Article 5, Section 2, a special air surchargewhich may not exceed 70l centimes per 20 grams and per 1,000 kilometers.

2. European Administrations which take advantage of the option provided in Section 1 and which, due to the geographical position of their countries, find it difficult to adopt a uniform surcharge for all of Europe, areauthorized to collect surcharges in proportion to the distances, in accordancewith the provisions of Article 5, Section 4.

3. That option is also granted to other European countries for their relations with the countries mentioned in Section 2.

4. In consideration of the special geographical position of the Union ofSoviet Socialist Republics, the Administration of that country reserves theright to apply a uniform surcharge over the entire territory of the Union ofSoviet Socialist Republics, for all the countries of the world. The surchargeshall not exceed the actual costs occasioned by the transportation of thecorrespondence by air.



A. KAYOUM

For the Union of South Africa:L. C. BURKE

For Albania:KAHREMAN YLLI

For Gennany:

For the United States of America:JOHN J. GILLEN


EDWARD J. MAHONEY

FREDERICK E. BATRUS


JOHN J. GILLEN


EDWARD J. MAHONEY

FREDERICK E. BATRUS

For the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:HAFITZ W AHBA


D. B. CANALLE

D. B. CANALLE

ROQUE DE ZERBI


W. G. WRIGHT




O. SCHOCKAERT

J. CARE ME



Kossov

For Bolivia:A. COSTA Du RELS


CARLOS LUIS TAVEIRA

MOACYR BRIGGS

JULIO SANCHEZ PEREZ


A. COHENOV


E. J. UNDERWOOD

L. GERMAIN

For Chile:PEDRO EYZAGUIRRE

For China:T. TAl


ROBERTO ARCINIEGAS

JORGE PEREZ JIMENO

For Korea:

For Costa Rica:

For the Republic of Cuba:S. I. CLARK

EVELIO C. JUNCOSA

JESUS LAGO LUNAR


J. E. T. ANDERSEN


S. E. PARADAS

For Egypt:AHMED MAMDOUH MOUSI BEY

MOAWAD KHALIL BlAHA!

ANOUAR BAKIR


A. SOLER-SERRA


For Spain:




URHO TALVITIE

TAUNO PUOLANNE

For France:LE MOUEL

ALBERT LAMARLE

USCLAT

BERNARD

DESMARAIS

DROUET

G. BOURTHOUMIEUX

For Algeria:A. LABROUSSE

H. GRAS


For all the other overseas ter~it~ries ofthe French Republic and territoriesadministered as such:

SKINAZI


D. J. LIDBURY

W. H. WEIGHTMAN

R. H. LOCKE

A. D. WILLIAMS

E. P. BELL

A. WOLSTENCROFT

For all of the British ovei"s"eas territories;including colonies, protectorates,and the territories under mandateor under trusteeship exercised bythe Government of the UnitedKingdom of Great Britain andNorthern Ireland: .

D. J. LIDBURY

W. H. WEIGHTMAN

R. H. LOCKE"

A. L. WILLIAMS

E. P. BELL

A. WOLSTENCROFT



TH. BREDIMAS

For Guatemala:E. MUNoz MEANY



A. SOLER-SERRA

For Hungary:MODos ELEMER


C. V. CUNNINGHAM

S. A. SIDDIQI

S. N. DAS GUPTA

N. CHANDRA

For Iran:H. HEDJAZI

I. DARSA

For Iraq:J. HAMDI

BEHER FAIK

For Ireland:S. S. PUlRSEAL

S. 6. H. EIRAMHOIN



ANTONIO PENNETTA

PAOLO NOVI

For Japan:





L. PERNOT

HUMBERTCLAUDE

For Morocco (Spanish Zone):


LAURO RAMIREZ

For Nicaragua:


INGV. LID

HAKON ERIKSEN



ELlGlO OCANA V.


D. B. CANALLE

DOMINGO B. CANALLE

ROQuE DE ZERBI


HOFMAN

For Cura<;ao and Surinam:V. GOOR

HOFMAN

For the Netherlands Indies:P. DI]KWEL

C. C. VAN DILLEWIJN


CARLOS MACKENHENlE

CARLOS MACKENHENlE

ERNESTO CACERES




T. JARON

M. HERWICH


JORGE BRAGA

A. BASTOS GAVIAO

J. C. QUADRlO MORAo



BARRETO



DOMINGOS ANTONIO DA PlEDADE

BARRETO

LUIS CANDIDO TAVEIRA


For Romania:R. ROSCA

I. NICOLAU




ALLEN HULTMAN

TURE NYLUND

For the Swiss Confederation:F. J. HEssTUASON

PH. ZUTTER

CHAPPUIS

H. GRAF

For Syria:ADiB DAOUD!


FR. HOFNER

MIROSLAV SOUKUP

DR. FRANT. NORMAN



For Turkey:I. BESEN

For the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic:

N. STASS


P. SARATOVKIN

N. STASS

N. BOUCHOUEV

D. ERIGIN


For the Vatican City State:EGIDIO VAGNOZZI

A. SELME


F. VELEZ SALAS

For Yemen:


VLADIMIR SENK

[For forms appended to the airmail provisions, see 62 Stat. 3292 or TIAS1850, p. 137.J

Documents

Universal Postal Union1. The regular-mail service is governed by the provisions of the Convention. 2. Other services, such as those of insured letters and boxes, parcel post, collect-on-deliveryarticles,